FESTIVAL SEQUENCE
by sarramaks
Summary: COMPLETE. A sequence of stories, each 3 chapters long, focusing on each of the festivals in Daine and Numair's first year together. Includes weddings, births, much fluff and a few cliff hangers too. Have a read, and then review!
1. Samhain Part I

**A/N: This is the first in a sequence about each of the eight festivals that make up the wheel of the year. Each short story will be roughly 2/3 chapters long.**

**I am not a wicca, or of any other religion, so all the information I have included is what I have researched from the internet and any other sources I have been able to get my sticky paws on. I apologise if anything I have included is incorrect, please feel free to email me and correct anything. **

**There are three festivals mentioned (To my poor knowledge!) in the Tortall cannon, Midwinter, Beltane and the Autumn Equinox; I am assuming that the rest would also have been celebrated too.**

**I intend to involve as many of the characters as possible throughout the sequence – those of you who have read A Stepping State know that I get bored when I only focus on a couple of characters.**

**As the stories will be short, there will be fluff included and possibly one or two cliffies where they tie in well. Plots will be developed around the introspection of characters rather than any mad mages this time! **

**Enjoy, and don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to Tamora Pierce, as you all know! The information about Samhain has been learnt from various websites – I can send you links to them if you wish to know more.

Chapter 1 – Holidays

Four people on horseback rode across a wide, long field draped in autumn morning sunlight, the grass pigmented with crinkled leaves of many shades of red, yellow and orange. The sun was bright in the clear sky, the lack of clouds hinting at a heavy frost during nightfall and the crisp air containing a distinct chill that shouted that the winter was on its way. The trees were almost empty of the leaves that had adorned them throughout summer, although some still bore berries and fruits that birds and squirrels were scrambling for in preparation for the winter time. The mountains in the distance were topped with more snow than usual, showing up against the unclouded sky like giant witches wearing white hats. A kestrel hovered over the party of riders, almost shouting at them as the travellers continued on their way, one of them looking up to the bird intently, at some points her lips moving as if she was speaking to the creature.

The party contained two older children, both dark haired and bearing similar enough features for a stranger to guess that they were brother and sister. The girl's hair was long and straight, contrasting with the young woman's who rode beside her, as hers was a shade of smoky brown, with curls that suggested they could be difficult to tame. A tall man who was rather awkwardly riding his mount rode next to her, clearly feeling every bump in their path. His black mane of hair was neatly tied back into a horse tail, emphasizing his long nose and features that had probably broken a heart or two. They were travelling at a steady pace; the day had only just begun and they were obviously confident that they would reach their destination before the night's celebrations.

The woman brought her horse to a halt, stopping beside a stream that ran down from the mountains, flowing with icy cold water. She dismounted and led her mount to it, encouraging her to drink. The other three copied her actions, the children showing more grace in dismounting their horses than the tall man could have dreamed of and the woman visibly smothered a laugh as she watched him almost topple off the horse.

"How is it, Numair," the woman began, "That you spend so much time riding a horse but never improve your technique?"

Numair grinned flirtatiously at her. "Too busy improving other things," he muttered so that only she could hear, the two children busy undoing their packs and taking out packets of bread and bacon.

The elders collected a small amount of wood and lit it to create a fire that they could use to cook, Numair recovering a flat pan and a larger pan from a pack on one of the horses. The smell of bacon filtered through the air, causing the woman's nose to twitch pleasantly.

"If Kitten was here now she'd be sat so close to you, you wouldn't be able to move," she addressed Numair. The two children laughed and sat besides the couple, eagerly waiting their breakfast.

Numair smiled. "She does have a penchant for bacon. I'm sure Diamondflame will indulge her enough while he's visiting."

"I feel quite bad for not being there," the woman replied, her accent distantly showing that she was from parts other than these. "Although I'm fair sure that Diamondflame will still be there when we get back, and it'll be nice for Kit to spend some time with her elders on her own."

Numair smiled at her, showing white, even teeth, and his brown eyes twinkling. "Diamondflame won't mind you not being there, Daine, and Tkaa will look after her until this afternoon. Unlike your parents, dragons always seem to arrive on time."

Daine sent him a mock-offended look.

"How come Diamondflame and Kitten aren't coming to Pirate's Swoop?" Kally asked.

"Diamondflame won't be here until later on this afternoon, and he may be bringing one or two of the other young dragons with him, so Tkaa thought it would be wise to remain at the Tower, as any little dragons will be quite overwhelmed by it all," Numair explained.

Daine laughed at the thought of the younger dragons and what their excitement would be like at leaving Dragonlands for an adventure, her curls bobbing about somewhat. She turned to the two children, regarding them with large blue-grey eyes framed with long, curling eyelashes. "It should only take us another two hours of riding to get to your Aunt Alanna's house. She's expecting us about lunchtime. Of course, if it wasn't for Numair's terrible riding, we may have been there by now!" She jested, one eye on the mage.

Numair grinned without rising to Daine's bait, merely storing what she had said for payback later. "Remember, my dear, it's Samhain tonight. I can always think of some incantation to evoke the wrath of a few evil imps on you!"

Kally and Roald laughed at his playful tone, their hands holding thick chunks of bread surrounding pieces of the freshly smoked bacon.

"We've always celebrated Samhain at the palace before, it will be nice to be somewhere else for a change," the boy sighed in a melancholy fashion.

"You're just glad to escape Lord Wyldon for a few days," his sister laughed accusingly. "And I'd like to know how you've managed this holiday. Dad's been in an almighty bad mood since that row with Aunt Alanna."

The boy's mouth twitched as if he was thinking over what his sister had said. "Dad said it was important to have a bit of time away sometimes, and I think this is kind of an olive branch to Alanna, letting us come here."

"You're probably right, Roald," Numair interjected, nodding at the lad. "Alanna asked if we could bring you. Thom is back from the university and he'll want company from someone his own age, not just the twins."

"I think those twins are the evil imps you were threatening Daine with," the girl giggled. "'Specially Aly. Mother doesn't know what Aunt Alanna and Uncle George will do with her when she gets older."

"I think Aly will decide that herself, Kalasin" Daine said, between mouthfuls of food. "Where does the idea of wicked spirits come from?" She directed her question to the mage, wanting to divert the conversation away from Alanna's daughter, knowing that Kalasin was liable to repeat some things that were best left unsaid, as she had done when she had announced to a room full of people that her parents were in a rush to get ready as they had spent most of the afternoon "in bed asleep". Kally had been two years younger than she was now, but the incident had not been forgotten.

"Well," Numair began as they started to tidy away the breakfast things. Daine fondly noticed the glazed look in his eyes as he was about to impart knowledge. She half switched off, having heard these stories many times before from both Numair and her Ma, but still tuning in to the sound of his voice and enjoying the closeness of his presence.

He began to continue the story he had begun at Mabon, telling them of the coming to power of Tanist, the god of winter, over Lugh, the god of summer. He told them tales of the traditions that were kept during Samhain, and of the changing image of the Great Mother Goddess, as she now altered into her third aspect of the crone, and old woman who would be reborn again at Midwinter, when the days started to lengthen and slowly start to become longer than the nights. Numair had an easy way of telling such stories and the children were well entertained for the next hour or so, as they resumed their travels to Pirate's Swoop.

Daine's attention was caught somewhere between listening to the melee of animal voices she could hear as they rode and thinking of her lover, drifting off into a land of waking dreams and reliving some of the time they had spent together. It had been almost six weeks since they had begun to live together, Daine moving her belongings into his room at the palace and slowly taking some things to his home in a tower three hours ride from Pirate's Swoop. She had thought that it would be difficult living with someone when she had become used to being so much on her own, but she had been wrong. She and Numair had spent so much time together in the past year that it had felt incredibly natural and right, and they had adjusted easily to sharing the same living and sleeping quarters and she now felt almost lost if they ever had to spend a night apart.

They had decided to spend Samhain at Pirate's Swoop for many reasons, one of them to try and act as peace maker between the king and Alanna after their disagreement in a decision about a girl who was beginning to train as a page. Alanna had stormed off after an argument with Jonathan and hadn't returned to the palace since, very much keeping her distance. Daine knew that this wasn't healthy for the kingdom or for either of the two involved, so she and Numair were combining a trip home – Daine felt a warm glow inside of her when she thought of the tower as home – and visiting Alanna in attempt to reason with her. It was also proving to be a welcome break form the palace for them, and Daine was hoping that it would be an enjoyable Samhain.

They arrived at Pirate's Swoop shortly after midday, the sun high in the clear sky, a distant, blazing ball of fire. The Lioness had rode part way to meet them as they approached the grounds of where she lived. Her bobbed red hair gave her away as she rode towards them, blowing back gently in the breeze created as she moved along. From where she came Daine could see a large pile of wood, old branches and trees that had been chopped down, gathered in preparation for the bone-fire that evening.

"You made it in good time!" The Lioness called as they were in hearing distance, dismounting from her horse. "I expected you to be later than this!"

Daine laughed, climbing down from Cloud and approaching her friend. "We set off shortly after dawn, so it's taken just over three hours, although we did stop for breakfast along the way. We have rode fair quickly."

Alanna nodded, pulling the two children into a hug after solemnly shaking their hands. She then proceeded to let Numair kiss her cheeks and enveloped Daine in a large hug, welcoming her friends with gusto and leading them into her home.

"We've started to smoke some of the fresh meat," Alanna informed them after exchanging the usual pleasantries, which Alanna was usually extremely quick with anyway. "We've still herbs that need preparing, so I thought that maybe Kally could help with that in the kitchens."

Samhain was always a busy day; it was the final harvest. Any crops still out in the fields by the end of the day would be left, some thought as an offering to the gods, other suggested it was because the faeries that would appear tonight would blow their breath on them, and make them unfit to be used. There would also be a feast that evening, to celebrate the start of the New Year and the passing of the old one. As Daine entered Pirate's Swoop she felt the buzzing atmosphere that was similar to the one at the palace before an important event.

She glanced at Numair who was taking in the activities all around him as well, the two children having left them to find Thom and Alanna's twins and join in any mischief that they may be involved in. Numair adored Samhain, she knew. This was the night when the veil between this world and the other world was at its thinnest, and the spirits of the dead could cross over. Numair revelled in the old magics that surrounded this night. She could see his face, like a child's at Midwinter, as he looked around, eyes full of curiosity and excitement. Candle had been placed traditionally on windowsills, acting as lights to guide the spirits of loved ones who had departed. Later on, the children would leave small offering of food on the doorsteps as gifts for those spirits that were still wandering, as they had buried apples along the path they had travelled that morning.

For Daine, this was the real beginning of winter. From now until spring her daily life would alter slightly. The weather had already started to grow colder, so the needs of the animals that she cared for had begun to change also.

Numair sat down on the bed that they would share for the next two nights, until they returned to his Tower. This was the first time they had stayed at Pirate's Swoop as a couple, and the newness of their relationship excited her once more.

He looked up at Daine, his brown eyes that she frequently felt like she was pleasantly drowning in watching her from between thick black lashes. She giggled and sat down next to him, winding her arms around his neck and pulling her chest close to his. Numair moved his arms comfortingly around her, making them both fall back onto the bed.

"Do you think my parents will be able to visit tonight?" Daine asked as she lay in his arms.

"Have they mentioned anything to you about it?" He replied, knowing that occasionally Gainel managed to open a link in Daine's dreams for her mother to be able to communicate with her.

"Ma mentioned it might be possible, but there were to be a lot of births around this time, so she may be needed," Daine answered, her lips close to his as she spoke. "It's easy for them to visit on days like Samhain, isn't it?"

Numair nodded, a funny sight when one side of his face was pressed to the covers on the bed. "Beltane and Samhain are both meant to be times when it is possible to cross boundaries, similarly with Midwinter and Midsummer, although they don't hold as much power as the other two. Tonight especially is when the veils between worlds is at its thinnest. You heard what I said to Kally and Roald before about some people believing that time and space cease to exist at Samhain, which enables crossings over and rather more accurate divinations that normal as we are able to see through time, as tonight is when the world falls back into a chaos, preparing itself to re-establish a new order," Numair stopped, noticing the amused look in Daine's eyes.

"Am I making you laugh, Magelet?" He asked, an almost embarrassed tone to his voice.

"No, Numair," she answered softly, moving closer to his lips. "You're just being you." She kissed him softly, wanting to make the most of the time alone before Alanna sent for them to help in the preparations for the night's feast.

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The rest of the afternoon for Daine was spent helping with the animals in the field and the stables. She briefly managed to go down to the sea, her lungs filling with the salty air she had loved so much since her first visit here three and a half years ago. Hopefully, she would manage some time with the sea-animals before she and Numair left Alanna's house, although given that they were staying for such a short time as they were needed back at the palace, she doubted that it would happen.

Numair had been accosted by Alanna to help cast protection spells and incantations to stop any harm over Pirate's Swoop. Numair also assisted Alanna in moving more old wood over to the bone-fire, using their magic rather than having any of the workers shift the heavy pieces of logs and branches that had fallen to the ground over the past year. They left the smaller twigs for the birds and animals at Daine's request, as they would need them for nest building in the coming spring.

Walking back to the old stone building that had been given to George when he began to work for the king several years ago, Numair realised that this would be as good a time as any to mention the falling-out between Alanna and Jonathan. He knew he would have to choose his words carefully else he could end up making things worse.

"Have you heard from Jonathan at all?" He began, his feet crunching the leaves beneath them as the came through the small forest that separated Alanna's home from the fields.

Alanna shook her head. "Not at all."

Numair sighed. "What does George think of all this?" He hadn't yet seen George as he had been dealing with a squabble in the nearby village, over which he was baron. He wished he could've conversed with him before broaching the subject with Alanna to find out if she had calmed down any since the incident.

"He thinks I'm being stubborn and infantile. Those were his words," the Lioness responded, her voice not giving away any trace of emotion. They sat down next to each other on the wide trunk of a fallen tree.

"I've known you to have disagreements in the past, but not like this," he said, hoping to reason with her. Numair knew that it was doing the court no good to have the king and his champion at odds, but he was more concerned with their friendship. Alanna and Jon had been friends for more then twenty years, he didn't want that to be irreparably damaged.

"We've had a row like this once before," he saw her eyes turn almost black as she recalled the memory. "When I turned down his marriage proposal."

Numair wondered if there was more to this than he had previously thought.

Alanna noticed his expression. "No, Numair," she shook her head. "That is well and truly in the past. I rarely, if ever, think about that. And if I do, it's with relief. I never would have made a good queen, or wife, for him. I doubt that there are any regrets on either side."

Numair let the silence hang around them for a few moments while he gathered his thoughts about what to say. He could hear the calling of seabirds as they flew overland toward the ocean. If Daine had been here now she would be telling him all about which sea creatures were about, and what they were doing. For a moment he missed her violently, even though she was less than a mile away. When they were apart he felt like one half of him was missing and he longed for her presence.

"Alanna, you have to sort this thing out. I know that Keladry of Mindelan is important to you, she's the first female page since you started, and the first to go into training openly as a girl," he said, referring to the fact that Alanna had had to conceal her gender to be able to train to become a knight. "But they do have a real point about why you shouldn't be able to show her any more favour than you do the other pages, and that's not because of their views; its other people who will accuse her of succeeding because of your favour and not doing it because she, herself, is capable."

"It isn't just that," Alanna answered back. "They're making her do a probationary year. That has never happened before. They won't let me give her any guidance or support because they don't want to treat her any differently, but they will make her do something that none of the boys has to do."

"That's Wyldon for you, Alanna. He's old fashioned. You can't blame Jonathan for that," Numair tried to debate back.

Alanna shook her head. "Jonathan's the king, Numair. What he says should go. And rather than back me up, he chose to side with Wyldon instead. Sometimes Jon can be so weak-willed!" Her voice fired with anger.

Numair stood up to return to the building, not replying to Alanna immediately, knowing that would only fuel her temper. It was cold after sitting in one place for awhile, the onset of dusk erasing the last gentle warmth of the sun. They set off in silence, walking at a reasonable pace.

"Jon has to back up his advisers," Numair finally said. "If it was a matter of defence or dealing with an enemy then you would be thoroughly backed up. If there was a problem with magic of someone with the gift then Jon would probably take my advice. Wyldon is in charge of the pages and other knights-in-training, Jon has to give him his confidence, otherwise he would end up with unhappy staff and that would have a resulting effect on other things, such as the quality of training they receive."

Alanna did not respond to Numair's argument, making the mage wonder if he had said completely the wrong thing. They entered into Pirate's Swoop, Alanna about to go her own way towards her chamber room. Numair lightly grabbed her shoulder before she could depart from him and she turned round to face the mage, a worried look in her eye.

"Look, Alanna. I know you've not liked what I've said, but tomorrow's the beginning of a new year. Please don't let this personal war with Jon continue into it," Numair's velvet voice said seriously before letting her go. She left without her speaking, her eyes occupied with other thoughts and feelings.

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The feast was a small affair compared with previous Samhain festivals at the palace; however there were still a fair number of people there. It was less formal than the celebrations would have been at the palace, Daine was able to wear smart breeches and a shirt, rather than a dress as a big part of the celebration, the bone-fire, would take place over a mile away in the grounds of Pirate's Swoop, and they would have to walk there, hence formal gowns would be a hindrance.

The eating had started shortly after dusk had fallen. Although this was considered to be the most important of the eight festivals, Alanna and George liked to keep it as a time to spend with their family as it wasn't that often that they managed time all together. Daine found herself gorging on the fruits of the season, including an expertly prepared apple pie that she took a second helping of. After eating, they took the bones that were left of there feast out with them to the fire that had been lit by Coram Smythesson earlier that evening, once Numair and Alanna had disappeared from gathering the necessary wood. The bone-fire was lit to represent the sun, and hopefully ward off any spirits that had malicious intent. The bones of the animals that had been killed for food were added to the fire as an offering to the Goddess to provide food in the next year and over the cold winter, and to have healthy livestock also.

The children were dressed in white shirts and breeches, which contrasted with the twins' hair. They had persuaded Maude to paint their faces so they looked like the faerie folk that were said to roam on Samhain, causing trouble and mischief and playing tricks. Maude had been delighted to help with their request, as she firmly believed that if the children looked like the imps and demons that would wander that night then they would go unnoticed by them. All four children also carried turnips that had been carved out to look like protective spirits, hopefully to shield them for any more dangerous mischief that was around. Alanna had rolled her eyes when she had seen the children, causing George to laugh at his wife's reaction. She had great respect for the Goddess, and the other deities, but her overload of practical common sense made her dismiss the ideas of faeries and demons wandering and making mischief.

People stood around the fire watching the flames burn into the night, the tongues of fire licking upward towards the dark night sky. Some of the single members of staff at Alanna's house were tossing hazelnuts into the fire, naming them after their suitors and seeing which would burn up with a bang and which would remain whole in order to predict which man they should marry. Daine stood close to Numair, one arm linked through his, the other rummaging in a pocket in her breeches.

Numair looked down to see what she was looking for, having to raise his voice above the humming of people talking and joking around them.

"What's the matter, Magelet?" He asked.

Daine brought her hand out of her pocket holding two pieces of a smooth, rock which Numair identified to be feldspar.

"I found these on the shore today when I took a walk down," she explained. "I heard you telling Kally and Roald about using them to see the future."

Numair laughed heartily. He hadn't thought that Daine had been listening to his lecture this morning about Samhain traditions. It was thought that if you threw a stone into the bone-fire and named it, in the morning when the fire had died you would see your future for the coming year by the state of your stone. He picked up a stone from Daine's hand and stroked it with his fingers, noticing that she had etched his name onto it with a sharp implement of some kind.

"Shall we?" He asked, raising up the stone as if to throw it.

Daine nodded, and simultaneously they both threw the stones into the burning mass in front of them, wondering what the next year would throw at them.

Although they had the rest of Samhain to get through yet!


	2. Samhain Part II

**Bitterosemary**: I'm not sure where that idea came from, I just ended up writing it! I'm glad it's working. I was really worried about this story. **Goldeneyedwildmage: **I love Bones! There are a few good fics as well, with lots of fluff on the bones community. Glad you reviewed, I would really miss it if you didn't! **Myrtle Riddle**: Thank you! Keep on reading! **Silverlake: **It took about two evenings of research, it could have been less, but I got quite absorbed in it. **Sonnet Lacewing: **I think I wrote 11,000 words this weekend! I am speeding up – trying to match your pace! **Twilight Shades: **Thank you! **Celuna Cirrus: **That made me feel happy that your friend says its accurate – I just hope the next seven will be as well! **Daine's Daughter: **I will alter Dad to Pappa – which is what I actually use later on. Thank you for pointing it out. **Neals Chick: **Here's the update! **Dolphindreamer**: I think that was because I didn't really have in my head what he looked like. Thank you for mentioning it. **NB44: **Many thanks, and congratulations! **Wild Mage Lioness: **The stones will be very fluffy! **Aikia Riyen: **Many thanks for being my first reviewer of this story!

**Disclaimer: You know it by now! **

Chapter 2 – Fortunes and Family

Before they left the bone-fire to return to Pirate's Swoop Alanna lit a log from the fire's roaring flames to take back with them to light the hearth in their sitting room. It was tradition to keep the flame of the bone-fire burning until the first day of spring, and as much as Alanna had scorned the children's outfits, some traditions she adored, and this was one of them.

They headed back in their small group, consisting of Alanna, George and their children, Daine and Numair and the prince and princess. Away from the palace Alanna liked to keep gatherings as informal as possible, and tonight she just wanted her family and close friends around her. Even Coram, who had had a good hand in bringing her up, was spending the remainder of the festival with his wife Rispah in the rooms that they stayed in while they were at Pirate's Swoop, along with some of their own close friends.

They returned to the suite of rooms that were kept private for times like this. The rooms had been furnished by George to make them look as much like an ordinary house as possible, with soft padded chairs, old, wooden bookcases filled full with books that weren't about battle strategies or spy work and the children's toys lingering from when they had been played with. Apart from the presence of the Lioness, and to a certain extent her husband, it seemed very much like a normal family home.

The twins were put to bed almost immediately by their mother. It had been a long day for them and their excitement over dressing up and the bone-fire had tired them out so no arguments over bed were given. Kally, Roald and Thom were allowed a little longer, although the boys had also begun to flag.

Daine slumped down in a large chair, covered in a soft, red velvety material. The ride had been quick, but it had still tired her and she felt her body relaxing with the heat from the roaring fire and the glass of warm mulled wine that George had passed to her.

Through half closed eyes she saw George begin to hand around pieces of paper and quills to write with. Bringing herself to wake up from her half sleep, she sat prone on the chair and accepted the tools form George, looking at Numair curiously as he smiled, writing something down that had obviously caused him some thought.

Alanna laughed at Daine's puzzled face, a look that was also mirrored on Kally's. "This is for you to write down a habit you have, or a weakness, which you want to rid yourself of. You then think or meditate on it and then burn it in the fire, hoping that the weakness or habit will no longer be with you in the New Year." Alanna looked at Numair who was smiling with his eyebrows raised at the Lioness.

"Did I explain that well enough?" She asked, concerned that she may have been a little confusing.

Numair laughed. "It sounded like you were reading a text book! Are you after Harailt's job, by any chance?"

Alanna scowled. "Never! That would just be…"

George pulled an amused face at his wife. "My, my, the Lioness is lost for words… Wonders will never cease!"

Alanna playfully bashed him over the head with a cushion.

"Have you managed to think of something to write, Daine," Numair asked, sat on the floor, his back leaning against the chair that Daine was sat on.

"I'm sure she's not that perfect!" George teased. He had found it most entertaining seeing the tall, sometimes rather stately mage completely besotted with his former student, and enjoyed gently provoking embarrassed reactions from him from time to time. George had regarded Numair in rather the same way that Alanna had; as a younger brother, who was there to be made fun of occasionally to help his feet stay on the ground and keep his head somewhere in the land of reality.

Numair looked up at the Baron of Pirate's Swoop with some puzzlement.

"I said," George began to repeat, "That although ye think tha' Daine is perfect, she most have some bad habits somewhere, or she could make ye more cups o' tea, or be more generous with foot massages…"

Alanna began to laugh in mock astonishment at her husband. "Shall I offer to write all your faults and bad habits down, laddybuck? I can think of a few things that I could do with you improving!"

Daine and Numair laughed at the look of horror on George's face as he considered what sort of things Alanna would have him do. The two younger people were trying to hide their grins, their mouth too full of sticky toffee to be able to laugh.

The noise subsided for a few minutes as they wrote down on the papers what habits they would like to be rid of in the coming year. Daine looked at what Numair had written from her vantage point over his shoulder and smiled with amusement when she read what he had put.

They each folded the pieces of paper – Alanna and Numair had written on two - and in turn dropped them into the flames of the fire, watching as they quickly curled and blackened.

For a moment longer they were all silent, listening to the quiet sounds of the roaring fire and each of them feeling comfortable and at ease.

"What did you put?" Roald broke the silence by asking Kalasin.

"To stop holding grudges when things don't go my way," his sister replied. "What about you?"

"To not be lazy or complain about the amount of work we get," Roald pulled his face, knowing that he was going to need a lot of help from the gods to break that habit.

George turned to his wife. "An' what about you?" He asked. "What habits have you asked for help in ridding?"

"I will be less impatient," Alanna answered solemnly.

"An' what was t'other one?" George had spied her putting a second slip of paper into the fire.

Alanna glanced at Numair and then looked at the floor, a stubborn look still haunting her eyes.

"To not lose friendships because of pride," she muttered. The room fell silent as they took in what Alanna had said.

"I asked for help in being more approachable with different people," Numair admitted. He knew that some of the pages and squires were a little afraid to ask him questions and involve him in their talk. Daine hadn't realised that it bothered him before.

"What was the other one?" Daine asked her lover, her fingers gently playing with his black mane of hair.

Numair angled his body to look at her as she sat behind him. "I'll tell you that one later!"

George let out a wolf whistle, his expression filled with amusement.

Alanna laughed, "So what about you?" She prodded her husband in the ribs. "What false promises did you make?"

"Ta tidy the dishes after meself and always make the bed when I get up last," George replied, a twinkle in his eye.

Alanna harrumphed, folding her legs underneath her as she sat on the seat next to her husband. "Could you not think of anything a little more apt? Like to not break the heart of every poor girl you meet?"

George laughed. "I never broke yours, did I, lass? If anything, it were the other way round!"

Daine remembered meeting George for the first time, when she had come with the trainees to the summer camp three years ago when it was held at Pirate's Swoop. George had been charming, and someone had warned him not to break her heart. She looked at the couple with affection and a little bit of awe. They had clearly built an amazingly strong relationship to be able to withstand many of the events that had occurred. Diane sometimes wondered how George dealt with the fact that his King and employer had been his wife's lover. His friendship with Jon was as firm as the friendship between the king and Numair. George appeared to harbour no grudges, or even any thoughts about the past.

"Here, lass," she heard George say to her. "That's what has already been. No use in dwellin' on those things, else you'll never get anywhere." His arm had crept around Alanna's shoulder and the red-headed woman was resting her head in the crook of his neck. She had forgotten that George had the Sight, and her thoughts must have been strong enough for him to bother picking up on them.

"So, my lad. How're you going to improve yourself this coming year?" George asked his eldest son.

Thom looked up; his eyes had been intent on the fire that he was sat next to. "To be tidier," he replied. "I did think about putting that I wanted to work harder, but I thought it would be more important to be tidy."

Alana grinned and reached forward to rub her son's shock of red hair. "I think you work hard enough," she murmured to him proudly.

The evening passed gently, any noise from outside had disappeared; people still didn't like to be outside in the darkness for very long on Samhain. Kalasin relit the candle that had been sat on the windowsill so that any spirits of loved ones that had passed could find their way.

The heat of the room and the vast quantity of food - and in Alanna's case, mulled wine – that had been consumed had begun to make the elders drowsy. Kalasin stood up, stretching her legs, and took a large rosy apple from the bowl next to the fire. She quietly left the room, not wishing to face any questions from her occasionally annoying brother who was now snoring gently in a seat near the fire and wandered into the nearby chamber room, collecting a sharp knife from the small kitchen along the way.

Kalasin sat in a chair facing a long, wide mirror where she knew her Aunt Alanna sat when she was applying paints to her face. She lit a candle to light the room, its glimmer giving the place an eerie atmosphere. With great care she cut the apple in nine pieces, and with her back to the mirror began to eat eight of them, thinking all the time about the arranged marriage that she knew was being planned for in a few years time. She knew that her parents had settled whom it was to be with, but they hadn't told her.

"You don't need to know at the moment," her mother had responded to Kally's persuasion. "Enjoy being a child for a bit longer. Remember that your father and I would only arrange this with someone we thought was right for you, so don't worry and forget about it for now."

Kalasin had thought of nothing else since, and her uncle Numair's lecture on the way to Pirate's Swoop had given her an idea of how to find out who her future suitor might be. She ate the eighth piece of apple. Taking the final piece she threw it over her shoulder, she turned to look over the same shoulder that she had thrown the apple and letting her focus grow soft she looked into the mirror, hoping to see the answer to her question in the form of an image or a symbol. What she saw both surprised her and erased any fears she'd had. Her mother had been right. They had chosen someone she thought might be right for her.

Kalasin returned to the sitting room; everyone else had now drifted into sleep. She settled down at the foot of her brother's chair and watched the flames flicker, still mesmerised by what she had seen in the mirror.

Daine began to stir, wriggling her leg from Numair's sleepy grip. She had heard the sound of an animal in distress, probably a deer that someone had tried to hunt but had only succeeded in injuring it and causing it pain. Getting up, she grabbed Numair's thick, warm robe and went to leave the room, unperturbed by the fact that most people would not step foot outside this close to the midnight hour when the faerie folk were meant to be at their most playfully wicked.

Halfway down the corridor towards the nearest exit she felt the presence of someone following her. Turning round sharply she saw Kalasin, draped in a thick coat that Daine recognised as Alanna's.

"Wait for me!" Kalasin called to Daine as she hurried to catch up. "Where are you going?"

Daine waited for the girl to reach her rather than shout down the corridors and disturb people who were sleeping or were otherwise engaged in divination. "I can hear an injured deer or elk outside in the forests. I have to go and help it."

"Is it alright if I come with you?" Kally asked, reminding Daine of their first time together at Pirate's Swoop when Kalasin, Roald and Thom had followed her round much to the amusement of Thayet.

"It's fine, although I don't know how long I'll be," Daine warned the girl.

Kalasin shook her head. She wasn't bothered by the time. She wanted to talk to Daine about what she had seen in the mirror a few minutes earlier. Daine would be a good person to confide in, Kally knew. She could keep secrets, and she could also tell Kalasin a little about Kaddar having spent time with him when she was in Carthak.

They stepped outside, the air filled with a thin veil of smoke caused by the bone-fire that had now gone out. The night was chilly and there was a still atmosphere that was almost uncomfortable. No sounds could be heard from outside at all, except the odd calling of an owl or the rustling of leaves where a hedgehog was delving for its supper. Candle lights flickered from the windowsills, and Daine wondered if any souls of the dead had joined their loved ones this evening, briefly thinking of her grandda and whether he would have thought to have come to see her. Shadows in one of the far rooms in Alanna home told her that people were still being merry and celebrating the new year, although there would be a few who would see the morning in with bad headaches and a trip to Maude's rooms, requesting something to ease the pain.

They walked into the forest for only a few minutes when Daine spotted the injured deer. She spoke to it gently, speaking aloud so that Kally was aware of what was going on.

"He's been shot by an arrow," she informed the girl. "The shot missed killing him and now he's in some pain as it's pierced one of his lungs." She knelt down by the deer, moving Numair's cloak out of the way so that she could move her hands freely. She went inside herself and found the pool of copper that was her magic, pulling a thread out with her mind and began to heal where the arrow had injured.

Kalasin watched, amazed by Daine's ability as the deer went from being almost at the door of the Black God to looking as if it was ready to bound off. She was too intent on what was happening before her to notice the man who stood next to her, watching the scene as she was doing.

The deer stood up, butting Daine with its head and trotting off into the depths of the trees that surrounded Pirate's Swoop on its eastern side. Daine looked toward the girl, hoping that she hadn't been too cold a while she was waiting for Daine to finish with the animal.

Surprise over took her as she noticed the man stood a short distance away from the princess.

"Da!" She cried and ran to him, her face alight as she recognised the man to be her father who she had only really met twice before. She kissed him on his cheek as he embraced her in a hug. "You've met Princess Kalasin before at Mabon, haven't you?" She asked, by way of reintroduction.

"Indeed I have," the god of the hunt responded. "I remember that your mother was also very charming," he nodded at the small girl, smiling.

"It's an honour to meet you again, sir," Kalasin replied, curtsying as best she could.

"Where's Ma?" Daine asked, looking around for Sarra.

"She's had a busy night. There have been five complicated births up in the northern area, so she's been occupied with them. I decided to come, however. It isn't often that we're able to cross into your realms, so I thought I'd better make the most of tonight," Weiryn told her. "Where's your lover?"

Daine blushed as her referred to Numair in that way.

He father laughed at his daughter's embarrassment. "Well how else do I refer to him? There's no shame in it, Veralidaine!"

Daine shook her head, her eyes fixing in the ground in front of her, a smile playing at her lips. They sat down on the fallen tree trunk where Numair and Alanna had been earlier. Kalasin placed herself next to Daine, full of interest in this man who was also a god. She had seen him once before, at Mabon, when he and the Green Lady had come to visit their daughter. He was much the same as he had been then, large antlers on his head, dark skin that had a tinge of green to it in places and dressed in only a loin cloth made of animal skin.

"I see that there has been little trouble since that man was sent to Tyra," Weiryn began, a little awkwardly.

Daine nodded, not quite sure what to say. Previously, when she had been with her father her mother had always been nearby or someone else had been present. Now she wasn't quite sure what they could talk to each other about.

"Has Ma seen anything of Grandda?" She asked hesitantly.

Weiryn shook his head, "She had hoped to see him today, as with you. But she had been too busy."

"How's Queenclaw and Broad Foot?" She asked of the two gods of the people that she had met when she had ended up in the divine realms over summer.

"Queenclaw is as annoying as your typical cat and Broad Foot is well too. They send their regards," Weiryn answered, obviously feeling as uncomfortable as she did.

"I don't suppose you saw a hunter while you were going through the forests, did you?" Daine enquired, thinking of the bad shot that had injured the deer.

Weiryn nodded. "A short man with no hair was running east when he passed me. He carried a bow, not a very good one. Why? Surely the daughter of the hunt god is not berating hunters now?" His tone became indignant.

Daine shook her head rapidly. "No, I hunt myself. But I always make sure I get a clean shot. He went for a deer and his arrow pierced the deer's lung but didn't kill it. I'd just healed it before you came."

"I saw you at your work," Weiryn replied. "You'd make your ma proud."

Daine flushed with pleasure. She had always wanted to please her Ma, but had never thought that she would be able to heal until she had met Numair. She looked up into her father's eyes and wasn't sure of the emotion that was in them.

"I'm proud too, little one," he told her. "Although I would've hoped you would be inclined to hunt more."

Daine shrugged. "I've been hunted myself," she said simply, knowing that they had been through this when she had been in his house in the realms of the gods. She looked at the younger girl who was sat beside her, obviously cold outside, even with Alanna's warm coat around her.

"Da, we really must be getting back inside. Kally's freezing out here," she explained, partly relieved to have an excuse to leave as she could think of no more to say.

Her father nodded and stood up with them. "I must go too. The veil between the worlds begins to thicken was midnight is called. I hope to see you soon. I will tell your mother that you are well and that we'll let _the mage _live for awhile longer!" Daine smiled, although not really appreciating the joke at Numair's expense. She had thought that he and Weiryn had gotten along fine at Mabon, and it had been much easier to talk with her father when Numair was around. She knew that she and her father had no experiences in common and she imagined that he must feel some guilt at not being around for her when she was younger. It would be hard for him too.

She stood up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for coming, Da," she whispered. "When will you next be able to cross over?"

"Possibly at Imbolc, but that will depend on many things," he answered, taking her hand and squeezing it. "It has been good to see you again."

He nodded once more to Kalasin and departed back into the forests.

-------------------

Daine breathed a heavy sigh and looked at Kalasin with wide eyes. "I wish we had more to say to each other," she said wistfully. "I feel fair awkward when Numair's not here with us. At least he and Numair can always have an argument so there are never any silences."

Kalasin nodded, her mind wondering if she and her future betrothed would have too many silences. She looked up at the older woman with worried eyes.

Daine ushered her inside and into the room that she and Numair were sharing. Numair was still asleep in the sitting room, to all appearances, as he hadn't returned to their chamber room yet.

She sat Kally down on the bed, wondering what was causing the girl such worries.

"I did one of the divination spells that Numair told us about on the way here," Kalasin began. Daine remained quiet, letting her speak.

"I wanted to know who mamma and papa had planned for me – you know that they've set up an arranged marriage?" Daine nodded at Kally's question.

"Well, I did the apple spell, and when I threw the final piece of apple and looked around I saw Kaddar in the mirror," she finished in a rush, her eyes looking anxiously over Daine's face searching for her reaction.

Daine nodded. She wasn't surprised by Kalasin's revelation. She knew that Jon had been in the process of arranging a marriage for her to take place in five or six year's time but it hadn't been announced to who as of yet, but Daine had suspected it would be Kaddar.

He was a good man, intelligent and caring, and Daine was sure that he would be a good husband for the eldest daughter of Thayet and Jonathan; there were certainly many worse kings or princes that she could have been betrothed to.

"I think you will be very happy with him, Kalasin," she reassured her friend. "He's a nice man, he's kind, intelligent… he's open minded too, so he will let you have a big say in how things are done and if you want to change anything in the future."

Kally nodded, her eyes still filled with apprehension. "I just worry… I don't know. I was relieved when I saw him in the mirror. I have met him before and I did like him. But do you think he will like me?"

Daine laughed gently, giving the girl a hug. "How could he not? And besides, he's arranged this marriage too. Your father did it on your behalf, but it would have been Kaddar's choice and I bet he's had lots of princesses offered to him for marriage."

Kally's eyes brightened. "Do you think I should write to him, so we can get to know each other?"

"That might be a good idea, but I'd check with your ma first," Daine said, unsure if that would be the done thing.

She walked a tired Kalasin back to her room that she was sharing with Alanna's daughter, much to Alianne's delight. Seeing that Numair was still asleep on the chair where she had been sat she placed a blanket over him and crept back into their bed, into dreams of Weiryn, Kaddar and Kalasin.

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Numair had not woken when Alanna and George escorted Thom and Roald to bed, departing to their own bed chamber themselves. They had left the mage to sleep, assuming that Daine would wake him when she and Kalasin returned from wherever they had been. George had merely passed a smile at the tall man, who lay uncomfortably on the floor, his mouth slightly agape and muttering frequent non-sensical word that would have probably meant more to Daine than anybody else.

Numair had woken as the fire had begun to dim and the warmth in the room evaporating. He half opened his eyes, wondering where he was, briefly, before he remembered.

His eyes gazed over at the fire and what he saw made them open wide as the shadow of a man arose from the embers.

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**Please review.**

**Also, dilemma – after this story there will be seven more, each with roughly the same amount of chapters.**

**Would you, as the reader, rather have each as a separate story or have them following on from this one, so you'd go to a new chapter of Festival Sequence, rather than a new story every 4/5 days? I would re label the chapters, so it would be Samhain Part 1, Samhain Part 11 etc. Let me know – the decision is yours!**


	3. Samhain Part III

**Dark Unicorn Lurking**: The research was quite enjoyable! But because of it there maybe a couple of days wait in between different festivals. **Bitterosemary: **I would have preferred to have done it in separate stories, but the majority of people want in carrying on, so I'm going to go with that. I found the Weiryn part flowed quite nicely when I wrote it. I may follow that up in one of the other festivals. **Lady Salmalin: **You'll find out here about Daine. Numair's will remain a mystery for sometime longer! **Neal's Chick: **Midwinter's next, so there will be fluff-a-plenty! **Celuna Cirrus: **Even in three chapters I will attempt to annoy you all by including a cliffy! **Goldeneyedwildmage**: Thank you indeed. I am going to keep it all in the same story. **Dolphindreamer: **I read an answer by TP about Kally not becoming a page, that it was because Jon had decided that there must be an arranged marriage in order to build up a link with another country, as there hadn't been on with him and Thayet, and he realised that that hadn't been the best thing for Tortall with regards to politics. I would prefer to think that she had chosen Kaddar, though. You're right about forgetting Thom, I completely missed that! I will go back and correct it at some point. As always, thank you! **Daine's Daughter: **I will be keeping it as one. Thank you. **Lime 63: **I write really quickly as well as teach full time, so I find I don't have the patience to go over things as I probably should. I like to get a chapter a day up, although as this is a busy week, it might take a couple of days before Midwinter starts! Keep reviewing! Your comments are appreciated. **Kelsey: **Thank you – what's your pen name? **Alanna 22039: **Thank you! **Silverlake: **I will be doing just that! **Aravilui, Jessica, imakeladrygirl, Myrtle Riddle: **Thank you for your reviews! Please carry on reading and reviewing, it makes my day! **NB44: **See what you think of the characterization in this chapter. It was a little difficult! **Sonnet Lacewing: **Most people wanted the stories to follow on. I was with you on that though. At least the stats will be bigger!

Disclaimer: Not mine, Tamora's, don't sue.

Chapter 3 – Opening the Door

Numair sat up straight, his hand clutching the black opal around his neck. The spirit of the man that Numair had wished to never see again stood up, away from the dying fire.

"Arram Draper," the spirit said in a rasping voice. "I thought I'd take this opportunity to pay you a visit, this fine Samhain evening."

"Well you don't have long," Numair warned, quickly searching his memory to see if he had ever read anything about the dead still being able to use their gift from when they were alive.

"I will have as long as I like, _mage,_" the spirit almost cackled.

Numair sat back, remembering his studies. He knew that he had nothing to fear and that his visitor would certainly have to be gone by midnight, which was a mere third of the clock away.

"Why have you come here?" Numair asked mildly, hoping that neither Daine nor Alanna would wake and come in.

The spirit of Ozorne Muhassin Tasikhe sat down on the double seat where Alanna and George had been relaxing some time ago. His being was weaker than that of the other spirits Numair had seen at previous Samhains, Numair resulted this to the fact that Ozorne had not long since died, and therefore his spirit presence was not as strong as his father's had been two years ago.

"I was hoping to see the bastard child who killed me," Ozorne replied, his manner changing to that of a courteous royal, as he had been back in the days when he and Numair had been friends.

Numair flinched at the words. He disliked anyone saying anything insulting about his lover, particularly the man before him. "She's no bastard," he informed his enemy as calmly as he could. "She's the daughter of a god."

Ozorne laughed, a sound that froze the blood in Numair's veins. "And she's certainly no child now you've had your way with her. I knew that you were never just interested in her out of the goodness of your heart." Ozorne's words were spoken in a very reasonable and gentle manner, which only aided in expanding Numair's complete hatred of him.

"You wouldn't know what love was even if it cast a thousand spells over you. Even when you were alive, your heart was dead. The only person you ever cared about was yourself," Numair growled, feeling his heart beating inside his chest.

Ozorne flipped his head to one side like an interested parrot and smiled at Numair. "I had many lovers, though. I remember you asking me what to do once. You knew nothing without me, Arram Draper. Why, Varice Kingsford would never have looked at you if you weren't the friend of the future emperor of Carthak. You give yourself all these high and mighty morals now, _Numair Salmalin_, but I remember when you were just a silly little boy, following me round, hoping that I would feed you the scraps off my plate like you were one of the palace's flea bitten mongrels. After all, _Numair Salmalin, _that's all you were – a mongrel."

Numair bit his tongue for long enough to regain control. He had to keep reminding himself that Ozorne had no power, all his gift, all his stormwing magic had evaporated once he went to the realms of the Black God. Yet somehow, Numair wasn't convinced. Ozorne was too clever, too smart, to just reappear without having some trick prepared to spring on to Numair.

"How did you get here?" Numair asked his old friend, not rising to the insults that Ozorne had just passed.

"As you saw, through the fire," Ozorne replied, gesturing towards the said place.

Numair shook his head. "It's Samhain. There is no great power in fire tonight, that belongs to Beltane. The medium for this festival is air. You're not meant to be here, are you? There's not been enough time yet for you to pass over into the realms of the dead. What magicks are you tapping into?"

Ozorne looked curiously at Numair. "You were always too clever --such a book worm. That was why Varice stayed with me and didn't go with you when you left. She could never compete. She used to come crying to me sometimes, when you'd shunned her in favour of your books."

Numair began to wish he hadn't consumed so much of the potent mulled wine that George had made. Alcohol affected the strength of the gift. He was sure that he was going to need it.

"I never asked Varice to come with me anyway, you must know that. You have me, Ozorne. I cannot understand how you come to be here. Why don't you give me the benefit of your expert knowledge?" Numair bated him, hoping that he would either want to boast and tell Numair what he was about to be dealing with, or he would begin to use whatever magic he had accumulated.

Numair heard the door swing open and prayed to whichever gods he could think of that this would be Alanna or George and not Daine or one of the children. He knew that Daine still had nightmares about Ozorne, and he didn't want her to see him now, sat in George's living room almost as if he had never gone. He turned his head slightly and saw George stood there, no sign of shock or amazement on his face.

"Well, well," George said quietly. "We have a visitor."

Numair wondered what George would do. He had no gift, only the Sight, but he knew how mages worked and his quick brain would have already deduced what Numair needed to know. Numair just hoped that he wouldn't put himself at risk, but then, that would be exactly what Numair would do if the roles were reversed.

Ozorne smiled the self-assured, arrogant smile that he had possessed for as long as Numair had known him.

"You still haven't answered my question," Numair said, a little more sternly at the spirit.

"Who are you to talk to me like that?" Ozorne half-laughed.

"Ye're no emperor no more," George interjected, amusement in his tone. "You got killed. Ye' failed on yer' mission to finish off Salmalin an' Veralidaine, and ye've only managed to get yerself here by the use o' some tired, ol' magic that hasn't even done the job properly."

Numair could see Ozorne becoming irate at George's words.

"And who are you to insult me so? A common born thief married to some lose woman?" Ozorne laughed.

To his surprised George joined in the laughter. "Yes, I am all of that, and more besides."

Numair saw the faint glow resonating of the blurred shape of the former emperor. He realised that whatever spell he had used was nearly at an end. Hesitantly, he sent a glimmer of his gift to see if it would reverberate off Ozorne. It did, Ozorne laughed.

"I would have thought that the great Black Robe mage of Tortall would have known instantly what magic this is," Ozorne's shape grew a little clearer. "In fact we studied it together in our third year at the university."

Numair recalled instantly. "Auxilium Auguralis," he smiled wryly. "Power taken. You've transposed the energy from tonight - that's why you're so late – to be able to break your journey and come here. Surely you can't have missed me that much?"

Numair noticed George calmly sitting down on the chair nearest the fire. He wondered why he wasn't remaining prone or showing even the slightest hint of anxiety.

"You missed me," Ozorne said quietly. "Now you have no fight, no need to run. It's one huge anti-climax isn't it?" He lifted up his hand; Numair saw the multicoloured ball of gift that he held, magic so varied that Numair knew he would struggle to even deflect any of it safely. He wondered how much chaos Ozorne still contained, having acted as the pawn for Uusoae.

Using his gift he coated himself and George in a protective spell and quickly uttered three almost unintelligible words. At first nothing happened, then the fire where only the embers still glowed began to burst in to flames, this time spitting out in all different shades of every colour.

"Where's he gone?" George asked, almost asleep on the chair.

"Back from whence he came," Numair replied, "Into the fire."

"Was he real?" George asked, a little more awake.

Numair shrugged. "It's Samhain. It could quite easily have been the act of some wicked imp and I do hope it was that. I dislike the idea of Ozorne being able to reappear at festivals purely through using the amount of magical energy that is in the air."

"Even if that was him, I doubt he'll be able to do that again," a voice from the door interrupted. Alanna stood, wearing a long black night gown, her red hair hanging lose to her shoulders. "Samhain is the most magical of all the celebrations, so it's unlikely that there would be enough energy at any other time of year. Also it is when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. By this time next year, he will be in the realms of the dead, safely tucked away to face the mercy of the Black God. Unless someone emulates my brother and decides to bring back the dead," the last sentence was said with a wry, almost humorous tone to her voice.

"That is true," Numair agreed. He yawned loudly, forgetting he was in the presence of two other people. "Now it's happened I feel inclined to believe it was the work of some mischievous imp that had been summoned by someone's thoughts or wishes by accident."

Alanna nodded. "Thom was fixated by that fire all night. I would wager that he's seen some faerie playing in there, and hasn't said anything. He'll be wanting to do some experiment there tomorrow," Alanna wandered to the large fireplace where the flames had now shifted to their usual colour. "At least we don't need to stoke the fire now."

"That was what I had come ta' do," George grinned. "An' then I saw Numair havin' a nice chat with our ol' friend."

"How come you were so calm?" Numair asked curiously.

"Well, I never get too stirred up by things like that, anyhow, and with it being Samhain, I thought it would be some evil faerie having her fun," George replied, unscrewing a bottle and pouring himself a night cap.

"He's also had far too much of that mulled wine to become perturbed," Alanna said, frowning slightly at her husband. "I do think it was some faerie that had manifested itself to look like Ozorne." The bell in the main tower at Pirate's swoop called the midnight hour. "See, they were nicely away by midnight as well."

She began to ward the fireplace with protection spells, murmuring words that Numair could say in his sleep. Feeling calm once more he stood up to retire to his bed and Daine.

"I'll speak to Harailt about this when we get back to the palace," he told Alanna once she had finished. "Either way it will be interesting to discover what really happened."

Alanna nodded. "Everyone's safe now anyway. I have two of the mages we employ here to sleep in this room in case anymore happens. I doubt it – all the faerie folk will have to be back now as the veil will have grown thicker. You be off to bed, mage," she swiped at Numair with the blanket that Numair had found on top of him when he had awoke.

He walked quietly back to the bed chamber, undressing and shivering in the cold of the night and then jumping into the bed where Daine already was, a warm ball under the covers. He curled himself around her, his long legs overlapping hers. She stirred with the movement, and in the dim light he found himself looking into her grey-blue eyes.

"Hello," she murmured, moving her hands onto his bare chest, her fingers gently grazing over the scattering of black hair that grew there. Numair kissed her softly, his mind escaping from the events of a few minutes before.

"Don't you want to know what I wrote on my slip of paper as my promise for the New Year?" She asked him, her tone still drowsy, but with playfulness edging into it.

"I do actually," Numair replied, revelling in what her fingers were now doing. "You were the only one who didn't tell."

"I had two," she whispered, her mouth so close to his ear that he felt the words vibrate. "The first was to stop being so shy about things that I am sure of," she began to nibble at his earlobe, then lowered her mouth to plant butterfly kisses along his neck.

"What was the other?" Numair groaned, his own hands beginning to wander.

"To still concentrate in lessons with you," she told him, her voice disappearing under the covers.

Numair didn't reply.

-------------------------

Daine woke slightly later than usual the following morning, given the late hour before she had gone to sleep. She felt the same sense of pleasure that she had done each morning since she had moved in with Numair, waking up in his arms, feeling his skin pressed against hers. She remembered what he had told her the night before and shivered. Faerie or not, she did not like the idea of having to see Ozorne again. She began to wake her lover, gently prodding him to get his attention.

He opened one eye and looked at her. She recognised the glare and left him be, easing herself out of bed and pulling on breeches and a shirt. She new that George, at least, would now be up and about, and probably the children. Daine headed toward the private rooms of Baron Cooper, thinking about the events of the previous night. She had heard of such things once before when some of the Riders had been gathered in the stables at the palace one evening and were telling stories. One of them, Ashvin, had describe faerie folk playing a trick on his grandda, so the old man believed that his wife had come back from the grave and was cursing him for taking a mistress. Daine had laughed at the story, but now she realised how terrifying it would have been for the old man.

George was in the kitchen attached to the sitting room that they had been in the night before. Daine could smell the aroma of bacon and eggs being cooked and suddenly realised she was hungry. One of George's favourite pastimes was to cook, hence any servants or chefs were banished from this kitchen. These rooms were the place where he and Alanna and their three offspring could be an ordinary family. George Cooper was a man who still remembered his roots, and had no desire to see his children growing up anything less than grounded and wanted them to be appreciative of the privileges that they had. For this he insisted on having the use of a small suite of rooms that they treated as a family house, without maids or servants, and they learnt how to do things for themselves.

Daine sat down on one of the light wood chairs next to the large dining table where George was beginning to load hot plates with eggs, bacon and thick pieces of toast, laden with creamy, yellow butter.

"Has Numair woken yet?" George asked, placing lids over the plates to help keep the contents warm.

Daine shook her head as she hurried to swallow the mouthful of toast. "An eye opened when I got up, but closed fair quick. I think last night's activities tired him."

A wicked grin crossed George's lips. "Really? Please give no more details, Veralidaine. What goes on in your bedroom should remain private…"

Daine threw an evil glare at the man. "I wasn't referring to that," she defended. "Although…" she decided to try to not rise to George's teasing.

"Seriously, Daine, I heard the noises coming from your room, you need say no more," George smiled victoriously as she blushed. He had heard no such thing, of course, but he could never resist tormenting the new couple.

Thom and his little sister entered, ceasing the conversation as they sat at the table. Alianne had obviously dressed herself, buttons fastened in the wrong holes, and she had forgotten to brush her hair. Daine alighted from her seat and went over to the small girl, showing her how to button up her shirt from the bottom up, and then she wouldn't get mixed up.

George saw Numair watching Daine and Alianne's interactions from the doorway, Numair's eyes filled with a mixture of emotions. George grinned, recognising the feelings that Numair was probably going through, and remembering his and Alanna's early days as a couple, when bed was not a place for rest and the future was too bright to look towards.

"Any theories on last night yet?" George asked the tall man once he had sat down at the table and applied an egg and several slices of bacon to two pieces of toasted bread.

"I'm inclined to think it was some kind of sprite," Numair replied once he had swallowed his first mouthful.

"What happened?" Thom voiced from helping his sister cut her bacon with the small, rather blunt knife she used. No one had dared give Aly a proper knife yet.

Numair looked at George for permission to speak about this topic to his son. George nodded. Aly was too interested in her breakfast to listen to the tale, and Thom would undoubtedly here much worse things sooner or later, than visit from a once gifted mage.

"We saw Ozorne emerge from the fire last night. We aren't entirely sure if it was him or if it was some Samhain menace," Numair explained briefly.

Thom went a little red, and Numair's eyes widened, putting two and two together and making at least five. The boy was a student at the University and he knew that he had amazing potential as a future strong and brilliant mage. Numair wondered if he had been playing around with a little magic the night before.

"Is there something you want to tell us, son?" George asked, his voice stern but unthreatening.

"It… it… was nothing…" Thom began, stuttering, his cheeks now fully red.

"It was obviously something," Numair answered, as gently as he could. "No harm was done, so why don't you tell us. You won't be in any trouble."

Thom sighed at looked at the table, suddenly finding his sister's breakfast extremely interesting. "We had a book in the dorms about spells that could be done at Samhain."

"What was it called?" Numair asked, knowing what damage exuberance, mischief and a powerful book could do from his own university days.

"Libellus Concubius," Thom replied, knowing full well that Numair would not be happy with the knowledge that any of the students at Thom's level had had such a text.

Numair matched Thom's sigh. "You did the Adoro abdo Accingo spell?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Thom nodded. George and Daine looked puzzledly over at Numair. Alianne smothered herself in butter and egg yolk, wondering why no one was paying her much attention and enjoying the fact that she could get messy for once.

"You realize that doing a spell such as that on Samhain could have had drastic consequences, had the spell been successful?" Numair's voice was now at its most awful. Daine felt sympathy for the boy; he obviously hadn't realised the depth of what he was doing and had probably acted out of curiosity.

"Numair," she interrupted. "I'm sure that you have made similar errors when you were Thom's age. He looks very sorry," she looked toward Thom whose eyes had filled with tears that he was desperate not to shed in front of one of his heroes.

Numair sighed once more and settled back in his chair, his large hands clasping a giant mug of tea that Daine had passed him in an attempt to pacify him slightly.

"You're excused Thom," George said to his son. "Could you find Alan and bring him here for breakfast please? And tell your mother that she's had enough of a lie in!" George looked at his friend. "What did this spell do?"

Numair looked at the older man. "I'm sorry for telling him off, George," he uttered.

George shook his head. "He needs to learn," he said simply.

"The spell he used opens the door to what is termed as "the passing dead"; those who have not reached their resting place. It's powerful, and he has shown quite astonishing potential by being mildly successful at it, although he was obviously aided by the fact that it was Samhain and all that that entails," Numair explained.

"So was it Ozorne?" Daine asked quietly.

Numair shook his head. "It's a spell used by people who are grieving and wish to see that person one last time. It calls back an element of their spirit by interfering with the consciousness of the person in grief in order for the magic to look like the dead and it will then speak as the griever expects them too. It is meant to provide comfort. Thom must have cast the spell fairly early on in the evening and it took some time to work. When it was operating, I was the only person around whose consciousness it could feed off, hence I saw Ozorne."

"How could it have turned out badly?" George inquired, cracking more eggs to feed Alanna and Alan with.

"If it had been stronger it could have toyed with some dangerous things in my mind and attacked me quite easily. Opening a door into your brain like that is not recommended unless you have protected yourself strongly. Thankfully, Thom's not adept enough yet to have produced a powerful enough spell to do that; although I have no doubt that he will be in the near future. I'll have to tell Harailt to keep close watch on him," Numair answered, his eyes clouding over at the thought of having another great mage in Tortall, who would hopefully carry on from him at some point in the not too near future.

"He's been sad over the death of one of the horses we had here, a stallion that died of old age a few weeks ago. Maybe he was wanting to see him one last time as he was at the university when he died and I think he felt that he hadn't had chance to say goodbye," George offered, his face looking thoughtful.

Numair stood up. "I'll go and see if he's alright," he muttered, nearly knocking a glass of juice over as he rose.

Daine looked at George. "Well at least we know it wasn't really Ozorne," she said, matter-of-factly.

George nodded. "Wait till Alanna hear this story about one of her children!"

"Don't you mean "our" children?" Daine corrected.

George shook his head. "When they step out o' line they are definitely _her _children!"

Daine laughed, helping George to tidy up for when Alanna joined them

--------------------

They regrouped after breakfast to walk down to the field where the bone-fire had been the night before, Thom and Numair staying deep in discussion the whole way there. It was tradition on the day following the bone-fire that the ashes of it were spread across the fields, helping to prepare the ground for the new year, when hopefully an abundance of crops would be successfully grown.

Daine was also anxious to collect the stones that she and Numair had thrown into the fire, wondering what the future would hold for them.

She looked around at the party she was walking with and noticed Kalasin's expression now looking more optimistic than it had done for several weeks. She linked her arm through the younger girl's and smiled warmly at her, hoping that she would now feel more secure in knowing something of what the future held for her.

They reached the spot where the bone-fire had taken place, now a heap of ash. People were searching for stones that they had thrown in, longing to know what treats fate would hold for them in the coming year.

Daine stepped into the melee, looking to where her and Numair's stones seemed to have landed the night before. Scanning round, she began to feel disheartened when she could find neither stone.

Numair came to join her, seeing the worried look upon her face and feeling his heart lurch as he understood what she was feeling.

"Never mind, Magelet, maybe someone has picked them up by mistake," he comforted, putting an arm around her small waist.

"Aren't these them?" A voice called from nearby. "The stones were feldspar, weren't they?" The pair looked up to see Thom holding a large stone in the palm of his hand. They stepped over to him, inspecting his find.

"But we threw in two separate stones," Daine muttered.

"They've welded together in the heat of the fire," Numair said, taking the stone from Thom's possession.

Daine looked at him, fascination and amusement shining in her eyes. "Does this mean we're going to have an accident with glue and become stuck together, then?" She jested.

"I think you got stuck with me a long time ago," Numair said softly, bending down to illustrate his words with a kiss, his hopes high for their future after the sign that fate had sent them.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'll go with what most of you suggested and follow on the next short story from this, so Midwinter Part 1 should be up shortly. I am researching quite a lot for each one, so there might be a break of a day in between stories, although it's half term next week, so I'll probably spend most of my time writing. Please review - I can't believe how many reviews this story has already! It's been amazing, so thank you everybody who has reviewed - please continue!**


	4. Midwinter Part I

**Silverlake:** Sonnet looks over George's accented speech and tickles it up where necessary as I can be a bit odd with accents, so part of that credit must go to her. Thank you for the comment about the ending. I'm going to get lots of practice with endings writing this sequence! **Dark Unicorn Lurking: **Thank you! I think Thom has the potential to be an interesting character. **Dolphindreamer: **Thank you. This chapter will have to do you till Saturday, as I'm at a 21st tomorrow night so want be online. However, I now have a week off (yippee!) so will guarantee a chapter a day next week! **Lime 63: **I'm writing as fast as I can! I like to get a chapter a day up, but I won't be tomorrow as I'm out. Keep reviewing. Reviews are motivational! **Mirtle Riddle: **He is definitely taking over. Thank you – I've never had perfect as a compliment before! **Sonnet Lacewing: **Thank you. I'm still dazed over the excerpt from chp 11. **Jess: **Cause I'm trying to stick to cannon, Daine and Numair won't get engaged. I may have the final festival – Mabon – set after the birth of Sarralyn, otherwise it'll be too samey to that chapter in Stepping State. Thank you for the stone info! **Sarralyn Numairsri: **I have already done three! After this I'm going to write one more long one, then concentrate on my own stuff, as long as the elf has told me how it's going to end by then… **Neal's Chick: **Thank you! **Bitterosemary: **Thank you. I'm glad that came across. Imbolc is the next after this, so expect mothering emails! **Aravilui: **The kids are what makes it interesting. They would hopefully be the centre of their parents' lives so they would be involved. Thank you. **Celuna Cirrus: **I really like little Aly. I quite like naughty children really. You may see more of her! Thank you! **Imakeladrygirl: **That was the one thing I knew was going to happen in that chapter. Thank you! **Aikia Riyen: **Ooohh, Medieval society. Sounds interesting… **Goldeneyedwildmage: **I'm glad it had that effect! I was worried that it might be a little kitsch. I will give that film ago! **NB44: **I love cheese. Especially brie! **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you! I hope you love this Midwinter! **Twilight Shades: **Thank you! Sorry the update's been slow.

**A/N: If you haven't read A Stepping State then you mightn't know that Onua and Sarge are an item. Just to warn you so you don't think its appeared from nowhere. **

**The usual disclaimer applies! **

Chapter 1 – Preparations

Numair Salmalin woke as the sun began to blare in through the large window that opened up onto one of the palace courtyards, rudely awakening him from his peaceful slumber. He automatically reached out an arm, hoping to find Daine lying next to him but much to his disappointment there was only an empty space, with the sheets still slightly warm and crinkled from her body.

He had become accustomed to her being there with remarkable rapidity, especially considering that he had lived alone for many years previously, and had never welcomed the long term presence of anyone else before, dismissing other lovers before they had had time enough to even consider leaving a hairbrush from one night to the next. Yet with Daine it had been different from the start; their relationship having grown from a seed of friendship into something that he now considered to be as vital as the air that he breathed.

He turned over; wondering what could have torn her away so early in the morning, and felt her pillow to see if she had left a note. Daine would not bother to wake him, unless it was something important, and nothing short of a hurricane could usually cause him to open his eyes much before nine bells. His hand discovered a piece of paper, hurriedly torn from a notebook he kept on the dresser in their bedchamber. He read it with eyes that did not want to open yet. Daine had left a message informing him that she was going into Corus early, to avoid the rush that would surely become hectic as the day ran on. Today was Midwinter's eve; everywhere preparations were being made, Yule logs were being arranged and decorations were being hung in every house in the city and further a field than that.

Numair remembered Daine mentioning the previous night that she was going to go shopping with Onua for Midwinter gifts - they had been too busy with trainees, mounts, riders and what had seemed like an endless list of things to do to have gone any earlier. He lay back and closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasure of being able to have a few extra minutes of lying in bed. He had no particular thing to do today; the rooms where he practiced his spell work had been cleared of any pressing jobs, the students at the university had either gone home for a Midwinter break or had settled down to enjoying their own affairs if they weren't, and he had done all of his gift shopping several weeks ago, in a small, insane moment of unprecedented organised behaviour, which had allowed him to gloat mercilessly over Daine and Onua at dinner the night before, when they had bemoaned the fact that they would have to face the crowds of desperate shoppers.

He was just about to return to his slumber when he heard a rather sharp rap at the door. Their bed chamber was two rooms away from the door that led onto the corridor, after his large private study and a sitting room, but Numair had found it child's play to spell the door so that any knock on it was amplified throughout his living quarters, and equally importantly had also proofed it so that the knocks of only specified people would wake them between certain hours. Those hours ended at nine bells, which had just been chimed, their distinct noise reverberating through Numair's brain like a hammer. He did not like getting up.

Sighing, he levered himself out of bed and threw on warm, thick trousers and a woollen pullover and made his way to the door. Daine had thoughtfully lit a fire in the living room, as the thick snows had made this winter bitterly cold, and that chill had not been entirely relieved in the palace either. He opened the door tentatively; half knowing who it was going to be.

Thayet stood there, a wicked gleam in her eye and a sweet smile curling at her lips. Numair raised his eyebrows, not smiling.

"We need help setting some things up in the palace for tomorrow's festivities," she announced.

"What can I possibly do that half a dozen other mages can't? Find Harailt or Jareth, they'll be more than happy to assist in any way they can," he grumbled moodily.

"They are already in the hall and have been for nearly an hour. We let you sleep in!" Thayet answered, enjoying the look of discomfort on Numair's face.

"Thayet, don't you have people called servants who you pay to do this?" He moaned, desperate to get back in the warm bed and huddle back under the covers until at least midday, by which time he hoped that Daine was back and that she would be tired from pushing though the crowds and would want to join him, keeping him company in various ways in their bed until the evening when they would be celebrating the lighting of the Yule log.

"And those that I have not given the time off to spend Midwinter with their own families are also busily engaged with the decorations. Come on, Numair. This is part of the fun. Harailt didn't argue like this," Thayet spoke to him as if she was trying to persuade one of her children to eat their vegetables.

Numair sighed, realising that he had no possible way of getting out of this alive. Once Thayet was determined to have something done, it was best to mildly agree with as little fuss as possible. "Give me an hour to have a warm bath and get ready and I will come and assist. But please remember I am doing this under protestation."

Thayet smiled back, as sweetly as before. "That's fine. I'll see you in the hall in an hour, or earlier."

Numair laughed ironically at her parting words. She'd be lucky if he was ready in hour, let alone earlier, the water took so long to heat up, even with his gift, seeing that the air around it was so bitterly cold.

He prepared a deep, hot bath, undressed and dived into it, feeling his body start to warm up in the heat of the water. He relaxed until the water began to cool, which wasn't a long enough soak for Numair, then stood up, pulling a giant towel around him to sponge off the drips of water.

He readied himself quickly, the chilly air making himself hurry and omit one or two of the preening routines he would indulge himself in when Daine wasn't there to tease him. Onua had once passed comment to Daine early on in their acquaintance about the length of time Numair took to get ready. He'd felt that he hadn't really deserved the comment completely, although he did occasionally spend longer than Daine in getting dressed.

He wandered down to the hall where a collection of the most unlikely people were preparing the room for the forthcoming celebrations. Midwinter was one of the lesser festivals, but was still one of the liveliest, with much merriment and revelry. Numair wandered around the huge room, adorned with portraits of monarchs of the past and present. A new portrait, skilfully painted by Volney Rain, the court artist, hung near the grand staircase that led into the ballroom at one side. It was of the current royal family, Jon, Thayet and their five children, all of whom except Jon were currently helping – or in the case of Liam, hindering – in the preparations.

The room was already dressed, with holly and ivy hanging from the walls and draping the tapestries and portraits. Large wreaths of it had been attached to the banister of the staircase, the red berries clustered in the middle of the green leaves, synchronising with the other red decorations. Mistletoe had been hung from the chandeliers and under doorways; one bunch had been placed over the door to the kitchens, Numair suspected by Rizon, one of the king's man servants whom Numair believed had a crush on the head cook, Elara, a large, busty woman whose bellow announcing that she had made potato cakes was the only thing known to rouse Numair before sunrise on an ordinary day.

Around the room, on various tables and hanging from large, decorative hooks, were large baskets, bedded with springs of evergreen and ivy, then filled with oranges and apples and wheat stalks sprinkled with flour. The fruit represented the sun, which would begin to grow strong after the morrow, the evergreen illustrated the immortality of the Goddess and the wheat stalks the harvest. The flour showed the victory of light and life, and briefly Numair sent up his thanks to the Goddess as her spotted it, thinking of the summer's events.

"Uncle Numy! Uncle Numy!" A small girl ran up to him, her hands filled with nuts and berries, dropping them as she lifted up her arms up to be picked up.

Numair laughed, bending down and bringing her up so that her face was level with his. Lianne was the youngest daughter of Thayet and Jon and although Numair would deny it until he popped, she was his favourite out of all the small children that rampaged around the palace. She pulled at his horse tail, neatly tied back at the base of his neck and grabbed exuberantly at his winter shirt, passing a sticky hand print onto the material.

"Where's your mama?" He asked her as he carried her through the halls into the adjoining room where the banquets were usually served. He was a little surprised that Thayet had not already accosted him to take charge of something, particularly as he had notice that the Yule log had not been brought in from the forest yet.

"S'e's in there," Lianne lisped and pointed towards a cupboard that was usually hidden behind a large, rather ornate tapestry that had been in the Conté family for centuries. He opened it with his free hand, holding on to the small girl with his other hand. He saw Thayet, her hair escaping from its tie, head buried into a box that Numair didn't think he'd seen before.

"Mama!" Lianne called as Numair laughed at the rather comical sight. Thayet could be the grandest of monarchs when she wished, but in her own home when there were no particularly important guests to entertain she was as different from any royal that Numair could remember meeting.

Thayet lifted her head and looked at Numair, a puzzled look on her face. "There's some odd stuff here," she muttered, standing away from the box.

"Where has that come from?" Numair asked, Lianne hanging onto his neck.

"It was stuffed right at the back. I was looking for some old wall hangings of the Oak King and the Holly King, depicting the battle, as I could have sworn that I saw them here last year and I just came across this box," she said, her brow wrinkled with curiosity and what Numair thought looked like worry.

"What's in there?" The mage inquired. Obviously whatever it was, it was concerning the queen.

"Lianne, go and get Mama and Uncle Numy a drink of juice," she said to her daughter as Numair gently placed her down on the floor.

Lianne scampered out of the door, leaving the two adults looking at the box as if it was about to grow legs and walk. Numair used his gift to create a ball of light, brightening up the small room instantly.

"What have you found?" He asked, going to the box himself. It had obviously been put there fairly recently, having no dust covering it. He put his hand in and pulled out a bundle of letters, noticing straight away that they were addressed to Onua. For a second he simply held them in his hand, unsure what to do with them. He made eye contact with Thayet who was also holding several of the envelopes.

"What do we do?" She asked. "I came across them accidentally. It looks like someone, and I assume its Onua, has hidden these here in a hurry. I have to say something to her about finding them, but…"

"You have that feeling that something's not as it should be?" Numair finished.

"Hmmm," Thayet agreed. A piece of parchment dropped from her hand, floating to the floor. The queen bent down to retrieve it, and then gasped as her eyes glanced at the sender's name.

-------------------

Daine had woken early, before the sun had begun to peep weakly through the window. She snuggled closer in to Numair as the room they shared was cold with the winter weather. She could make out thick flakes of snow drifting past the window and sticking momentarily to the window pane. The snow had begun the previous day after a relatively mild build up. Then the temperature had suddenly dropped, and the snow had started, beginning to build up rapidly.

Daine and Onua had had a busy few weeks, having had a spate of illness with some of the mounts and a bunch of new pages who didn't appear to have a clue about horse care. One thing after another had occurred, leading virtually no time for either of them to have been able to go into the city to shop for Midwinter.

It was now Midwinter's eve; the following day, gifts would be exchanged in celebration of the longest night and the birth of the Sun God, when the Dark Goddess again became the Great Mother Goddess and the Oak King was victorious over the Holly King. Daine smiled, her mouth slightly covered by the mound of blankets, knowing that some of her afternoon would be spent with some of the younger children, retelling the tales of myth and legend that gave the reasons behind the festivals.

Midwinter was one of her favourite times of year; the days would become longer and life would begin to grow again. In a few weeks the snowdrops would sprout from the ground, their heads popping up through the thawing snow. Before that, she got to huddle up to the man she was madly in love with and make him keep her warm. She felt his arm move round her in his sleep and heard him mutter some unintelligible words under his breath. She rested like that for awhile, awake now, but unwilling to move and get up properly, and blissfully happy next to him, their bodies entwined comfortably.

She mused over what gifts to get him for Midwinter. He had shopped several weeks ago and hadn't failed to be smug and annoying about it since. She knew he would have probably bought her jewellery and other trinkets as she had spotted one or two bags that he hadn't hidden quickly enough for her not to spy them. She had a vague idea of what to get him, but decided to cease dwelling on it, knowing that if she set her heart on buying him a particular item she would end up being disappointed if she couldn't find it.

Eventually, she gently wriggled free of Numair's embrace, bracing herself as she got out of the bed and felt the cold air chill her body. She quickly dressed in winter breeches and shirt, pulling on warm, fur-lined boots and a cosy coat. She scrawled Numair a note, reminding him of where she was going, and lit the fire in the sitting room, knowing that he detested the cold having grown up in such a warm country and later studied in one just as hot.

She left to meet Onua in the breakfast hall, where they had arranged to meet at dinner the night before. She spotted the older woman sat alone at a table, the room almost empty as most of the people that usually occupied it had been either been there earlier or had the day to actually rest and were spending it in bed, or at least a good portion of the morning under their covers, fighting the cold. She selected food from what was available and went to sit next to the horse mistress, who was wrapped as warmly as she.

"All set?" Onua asked her, looking up from her own breakfast.

Daine nodded, demolishing a piece of fried bread. "I just hope we can get it over and done with a quickly as possible," she answered.

"At least we won't be on Thayet's most wanted list to help out with the setting up," Onua said cheerily. Shopping was not one of her favourite pastimes. She generally attempted to buy bits of things throughout the year to save the pain of battling with the crowds at Midwinter; however, this year she simply hadn't had the time to do that.

"Do you think Numair will be asked to help?" Daine inquired, a playfully vicious look crossing her face.

"Maybe not," Onua replied, "Thayet generally avoids him on days like today. He works hard, and she knows that Jon likes him to rest occasionally. Why?"

"He's been fair annoying about having done all that he needs for Midwinter, and will probably spend the rest of the day in bed if he can," Daine's eyes glowed. "I might ask her if she'll keep him entertained."

Onua laughed as the girl left her breakfast momentarily to arrange for Numair to be aggravated, then her own eyes clouded as she became immersed in her own problems.

-------------------

The shops on the main street of Corus were decorated with the traditional ivy and holly. Some doorways had wreaths adorning them, others had lit bayberry candles over the doorways to bring good health to people who visited the shop. The snow had been cleared from the main streets by the already heavy volume of people walking about the town, doing last minute shopping. Daine was half enchanted by the sight and half bemused. The queues from some of the more popular shops were spilling out of the doorway, and Daine could see the rather perturbed expressions of some of the patrons as they waited for their turn to pay.

As a young boy ran through the streets, chased by an older man, armed with a long, heavy looking stick. Daine narrowly managed to miss being knocked over by them as they both jolted past her, the boy obviously being pursued by someone he had stolen something from.

Onua laughed, watching the scene. "Even the weather doesn't change some things," she muttered, grabbing hold of Daine's sleeve and pulling her into a nearby shop.

Daine glanced round at the store's wares, full of soaps and scents, hair lotions and creams, but for men.

Onua beamed at Daine. "Numair's not the only one who likes to indulge in a little pampering from time to time!"

"Sarge!" Daine shrieked, a little too loudly and caused some shoppers to look round and glare at her. "I would've thought he'd have bathed in mud!"

Onua laughed and shook her head. "No, he's been quite partial to borrowing some of my own skin creams since we moved in together."

Daine smiled. Onua had begun living with Sarge shortly after Daine had moved into Numair's rooms, although there had been much less fuss, given that their blossoming relationship had been hidden in the shadow of Daine's, something which they were most glad about. The tall, booming sergeant had changed Onua from being a woman who had become satisfied with what she had, and not expected any thing else from life, into a person who would now laugh at anything, her eyes continuously filled with a happiness that Daine hadn't seen before.

They perused the shops, Daine quickly purchasing gifts for Numair and other people at the palace. It felt a little different that this year some of the gifts would be sent from both her and the tall mage. For this reason Numair had persuaded her to accept some money toward the gifts, something she had originally been reluctant to do, not liking any "handouts" from her lover. But eventually she had listened to reason, and now found that she could spend a little more on each of their friends, and have a greater selection of gifts to choose from.

By midday, they were both over-laden with bags flowing with presents and heading back to where they had left their mounts and Mangle, who would now be entrusted to carry back their goods. Even through the mounting snow, it did not take them too long to reach the palace. Everywhere looked almost as of it was from a fairy tale that Daine's grandda had told her when she was a small girl; bare branches were piled high with snow, and they ground twinkled under the winter sun. The sky was a heavy grey colour and Daine could tell that more snow was promised before the day was through, the clouds looking as if they were about to burst. Everywhere was still and calm, very few people were venturing outside of the city, given the pledge of the weather.

They stabled the horses and Onua used her gift to warm the place; the cold was predicted to become an extreme that she had not experienced before and she worried that the mounts would find it uncomfortable. Daine noticed the look in Cloud's eyes as Onua weaved her magic.

_What's the matter? _She asked her pony, hoping that Cloud was not spoiling for a row.

_Some of us are more tolerant of nature's extremes and don't need any extra heat,_ Cloud responded, making a noise to show her disdain.

_And some of you are not used to Gallan winters and do need it, _Daine replied. _If it is too warm, I can move you nearer the door. You will find a fair pleasant draught coming from there!_

As Daine expected, Cloud harrumphed and backed away, not wishing to give up her prime spot.

The two women headed into the palace, leaving their boots that were frozen with the snow by the side door and dressed their feet into thick socks that would warm their feet and keep the floors of the hallways dry and safe from anyone slipping on wet floors. Onua headed immediately back to the rooms she and Sarge had moved into, neither of their previous residences being large enough for two people, and both had been in separate parts of the Rider barracks. Sarge wouldn't really have been allowed in Onua's part anyhow.

Daine made her way to the great hall, wanting to know how Thayet had managed to occupy Numair and if she had actually succeeded in getting him out of bed before noon. She gasped when she entered the large room, immediately overawed by the decorations, which this year included an evergreen tree, an abies with its beautiful purple cones dressing it, which had been decorated with holly, ivy and mistletoe, as well as gold candles that had been spelled to balance on the branches without setting fire. Red and gold material that had been shaped into ribbons and bows had been placed strategically on the branches, lending an almighty presence of celebration to the room.

Over the doorway to a rarely used large cupboard hung a tapestry of the Oak King and the Holly King, portraying the Oak King's victory, showing the waxing sun overcoming the waning sun. Daine sat down to look at the tapestry. She had never seen it before although she had often heard Thayet speak of it; it hadn't been displayed while she had been in Tortall until now.

She felt the presence of someone behind her. Turning round she saw the king, who stood with a smile upon his face as he regarded her gazing at the wall display. He sat down beside her before she could stand up, once again shocking the former common girl from Snowsdale and causing her to wonder what place this was when kings would just sit on the floor with you like they were ordinary people.

"Thayet, Numair and the children have gone to the forest to find a suitable log for Yule," he explained the empty room. "I see you are captivated by the tapestry."

She looked at Jonathan, with his deep blue eyes and black hair that had once made her go shaky at the knees. Now that accolade belonged to Numair, but she still felt fondly about her king.

"Who made it?" She asked simply.

"It was made by my mother before she was married to occupy her during an extremely cold autumn, when they couldn't escape from the house for the snow. Her father suggested she educated herself with a book, and she happened to chose one that was about the battles between the Oak King and the Holly King. She had never understood before then why it was tradition to put holly up in honour of the Holly King, when it was he who symbolised the darkness and death. She learnt that the Holly and Oak kings were two halves of a whole and that both are good as they help to maintain the balance. We needed the winter and the dark Goddess to allow us time for reflection and for the earth to renew itself and rest. The Oak King then wins in battle, and the favour of the Goddess, the sun begins to grow again, and the days lengthen – we also understand this as the Sun God being born to the Great Mother Goddess. At Midsummer the two kings battle again and this time the Holly King is victorious," Jonathan looked at the Wildmage, removing his eyes from his mother's tapestry. "Of course, you already know all the stories, don't you?"

Daine smiled. She did know them, but still enjoyed listening to them, and, as she would do later, she liked telling the tales too. "I didn't know about your mother, though. That tapestry must have taken her ages. How come she didn't know the lore before?"

Jonathan laughed. "Her parents were both busy, so she was left to the care of her teachers and ladies-in-waiting. None ever saw fit to educate her with information like that, which was rather a pity as she enjoyed such stories."

"That's a fair shame. I always loved hearing the stories when I was little," she said, her eyes far away as she recalled the times when she had sat on her grandda's knee and listened to him as he told of the lives of Oak and Holly. "I loved the idea of the defeated king not being dead, merely going back to the Wheel of Stars, and waiting there until he is reborn. It helped to explain why the Oak King and the Holly King could both come back to battle with the other."

They both sat in the peaceful atmosphere looking at the elaborate picture that Queen Lianne had intricately designed. Daine noticed the eight reindeer that accompanied the Holly King, who had been depicted with a crown of his namesake and the Oak King adorned with mistletoe. The vision of the Goddess Arianrhod stood in the background, silver light pouring from her as she waited to take the Holly King back with her to the Wheel of Stars.

Jonathan at last stood up, sighing deeply. Offering Daine a courteous hand he helped her to stand, the sound of voices now approaching the doors that opened up from the great hall to the courtyard. Daine recognised Numair's tones among the rabble, and smiled without realising it as she thought of her lover and his close proximity.

"I imagine he'll still be making you smile like that in forty years time," she heard Jonathan mutter softly, a look of amusement on his face.

Daine laughed, managing not to blush. "It looks like the peace and quiet has gone for the rest of the day," she said, watching as Thayet opened the doors and Numair lifted the Yule log into the room with his magic.

Jonathan nodded his agreement, looking at the cluster of children who Numair was patiently stepping around as he attempted to place the large log down where Thayet wanted it – a position that kept altering – without dropping it on a child's toe. "Thank you for that peaceful moment, Daine," he said, again with a large sigh. "I will treasure the memory of it throughout this celebration, especially when I am woken at some woeful hour in the morning to open gifts."

"And that, my dear husband, will probably be me, checking you have absorbed all the hints I have been dropping with regards to my Midwinter present," Thayet interrupted and Jonathan rolled his eyes.

Daine looked towards Numair, managing to catch his eye as he gave into to the demands of Lianne to be given a ride on his shoulders. Something in his expression worried her and she resolved to seek out its cause.

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Now review. I'm am off work all next week. The more reviews, the more chapters you will receive... bribery, a wonderful thing!


	5. Midwinter Part II

**Aravilui: **Thank you. I'm fining Midwinter quite tough going – its been really difficult to write chapter two after having a night off. I hope you think it's as good as the others. **Goldeneyedwildmage: **Sorry for the delay. I was at a 21st, and everything's been rather chaotic. I am off for a week now, so hopefully, I'll get lots of writing done. **Dolphin Dreamer: **I was really tired when I put the chapter up. You are amazing at noticing things! I will go back and correct them and probably do some editing on all my stories. These are like first drafts, as I like to let things sit for a while and then go back to them. Thank you! **Daine's Daughter: **I think I would call it stories! Thank you! **Sonnet Lacewing: **I have great admiration for Numair as he does put so much on hold for the sake of Daine. A pity there isn't more men like him around! **Twilight Shades: **Numair is worrying about what he and Thayet have found. Daine picks up on his preoccupied expression. Thank you for your review! Please carry on! **Silverlake: **I enjoyed writing that scene with Jon and Daine more than any other in that chapter. Thank you. **Neal's Chick: **And because its got you wondering I'll try and stick some fluff in just for you! **NB44: **Thank you! **Lime 63: **Thank you! I hope this chapter stands up to the previous one as its taken me far too long to write! **Bitterosemary: **Sometimes I have to include something just to keep myself awake. That was one of those things. I'm so glad I have a week off so I can't write during the day without falling asleep with my head on the keyboard! **Aikia Riven: **You're a bit of the mystery, you are! Hat maker! Wow. I believe Onua had both. In WM she used her gift to ward her and Daine's camp, and I think the colour of her gift was referred to as well. Numair did also say that she had a gift with horses – she had the copper fire too, but not enough to need training in it. I assumed that she had both, I also wonder if TP made a mistake, or if she did want a character who had both types of magic. I could have read it wrong though. That's a very strong possibility. **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you. I see Numy as being good with kids. I have no evidence for that, maybe its because I see him as being 'ideal man'! **Kelsey: **Sorry it's taken so long to update. I hope it worth it!

**Midwinter II**

Chapter 2 – Making Merry

Daine settled down in the hot bath that Numair had ran for her, candles surrounding it and a drop of essence of rose added to the water. She relaxed back, inhaling the pleasant scent and thought over in her mind the news that Numair had just imparted on her.

Onua had been Daine's first friend after the bandits had killed her family back in Snowsdale; it had been Onua who had found her work and a home and Daine thought of her as being like a big sister. She had known about Onua's history, with a husband who had left her for dead, although it was not something that Onua readily discussed, preferring to keep the past in the past. Onua was a quiet, steady person, very dedicated to her adoptive country and her job, and since Sarge had come into her life as more than just a friend she had shown a level of happiness that even Onua hadn't thought she was capable of.

Daine sighed, waving the bath water over her. Numair had told her about the letters that they had found in the cupboard when they were looking for the tapestry of the Oak and Holly Kings. He had thought Thayet looked as if she was going to pass out when she caught sight of the name of the sender. No one had ever considered that Onua's husband knew where she lived now, let alone he was actually writing to her.

Daine stood up and pulled a towel from the nearby chair to dry herself with, wrapping the warmed, fluffy piece of material around her body. Numair suspected that Onua had put the box of letters in there when she was moving her belongings into the new rooms she and Sarge had been given, in a rush so he wouldn't come across them as he was helping her to pack. Knowing Sarge fairly well, Daine knew that he would not be happy that Onua was hearing from her husband and that the horse mistress had kept it from him. She let the water from the bath drain, watching it mesmerised as it trickled away. Numair had explained his dilemma; he and Thayet had both seen who the letters were from and that they were still being sent, the one that Thayet had dropped having been written only three months ago. They knew they had to tell Onua what they had found, and he felt that they were entitled to an explanation of why she and her husband were still communicating, after what he had done, and especially now she had Sarge in her life.

Daine stood onto the fleecey towel that Numair had put down on the floor for her before he had left to seek out Thayet and get Jonathan's advice on what to do. She had suggested that Numair let Thayet speak with Onua – after the Midwinter celebrations. Daine knew that Numair and Onua were old friends but she thought that Thayet might be better to bring the topic up as Numair could sometimes be a little overwhelming. And, as she had explained to the mage, two of them would be intimidating, and maybe it would be best if Onua was approached by another woman.

She draped the towel over the back of the chair to dry it off and walked back into their bedroom, where a warm fire was radiating heat. Daine pulled on a loincloth and a breastband and settled down by the fire to dry off her hair, loathing the task as it took so long as her locks were so thick. She had wrapped the presents for their friends as Numair had filled her in on that morning's discovery, but still needed to wrap Numair's before he came back, as there wouldn't be time enough alone in the morning. Last year they had unwrapped presents together in a more formal manner. The collapse of the barrier had just happened and Daine suspected that it was a way of showing solidarity and team work by all being together for such an occasion. This year, they would be opening their gifts in private, or in small groups if they wished, in the morning, and most of the day would be spent celebrating with friends and family until the feast in the evening, when there would be much merry making and fun.

Tonight there would be a feast to celebrate the lighting of the Yule log, that she had seen Thayet preparing that afternoon. Numair and the children had found a large piece of an ash tree that had fallen down naturally in the autumn winds that they had had. It was a suitable size for a Yule log and they had been happy with their find, not wanting to cut down part of a healthy tree. One she had dressed the log in ivy, holly and mistletoe, Thayet had doused the log in cider and dusted it with flour, then had made Thom's day by asking him to use his gift to put the log in the large, ornate fireplace, where it would be lit from tonight, using a piece of the last years log to give it flame. Another Yule log had been found to go on the middle of the banqueting tables; this one had been decorated with three candles, one red, one white and one black in honour of the Great Mother Goddess. Daine had been impressed with the decorations of both the logs, but particularly the latter, with the red and gold bows and the dressings of evergreen, rosebuds and cloves.

Daine dressed in a simple, heavy blue gown that she had had one of the palace seamstresses make for her. Blue suited her well, so well that perhaps nearly half of her wardrobe was made up of different shades of blue. This shade was a dark blue, almost navy, in a shiny satin material that had several muslin layers underneath to fill out the skirt and to provide warmth. She was especially glad of the layers as it appeared to be getting colder as the day drew to a close. She had briefly opened the window in their bedroom to let in a sparrowhawk that was anxious to tell her something and the cold had stung her skin viciously. Even with all four fires raging in their rooms it still wasn't quite warm enough, so the extra layers on the dress and the thick, warm shawl that had a top layer to match the dress were most welcome. She wrapped Numair's gifts quickly once she had dressed; slightly worried that he may come back before she had managed to disguise what she had bought him.

She had just about managed to hide the last gift in her cupboard when he did reappear, the same worried look upon his face as he had worn before when he had carried the Yule log back into the palace.

"What did you decide to do?" She asked him immediately, anxious to know.

"We both agreed that we need to tell her that we came across the letters. It wouldn't be fair on Onua to not say anything and let our thoughts take over. We need to give her a chance to explain. Thayet is going to have a word with her after the celebrations, in a couple of days or so. In the meantime, we've left the box where it was. To move it would be unfair and interfering," he explained. Daine edged closer to where he was sat, pushing one hand up his back, under his shirt, comfortingly.

"Try not to think about it too much," she offered, wondering if she'd be able to the same. "We know that Onua's not a deceitful person, there will be a reason why she's still in touch with him."

Numair nodded, his eyes looking over at his lover. "I know. That's what puzzles me. Although she is a private person and doesn't always go into too much detail about how she feels. I doubt Sarge knows, and I think that's what's bothering me so," he explained. "Sarge is hopelessly in love with her, and that's taken a lot of trust and time to build. Finding out this would seem like a terrible deception to him, even if it is totally innocent."

He pulled Daine onto his lap so she straddled him, taking care to not muss up her skirts too much. Sighing, he regarded her with his chocolate brown eyes, noticing the trust that she held in her own eyes for him and the acceptance and love that was there also.

"You look beautiful," he told her softly, kissing the side of her cheek.

"You're not fair bad yourself," she muttered back, her fingers combing through a stand of hair that had come loose from his horse tail. "But you need to hurry and get ready for tonight."

"There's over an hour yet!" Numair let his hands begin to wander over the new dress.

Daine laughed and reluctantly moved his hands away. "And it'll take you longer than that to get ready and I really need to find where Kitten's disappeared to with Kalasin."

Numair pulled a face. "I can be quick at getting ready. Your opinion was completely tainted by Onua when we first met," he sighed, a smile on his face letting her know that he was being playful. "Kitten was in Kally's room. Thayet mentioned it when I was with her."

Daine smiled at her lover, disentangling herself from him and smoothing out her dress. "I'll be back in a few minutes," she said, shivering as the cold chilled her now she was away from Numair's heat.

Numair nodded, making his way to the bath chamber, leaving Daine to go and hunt for the dragonet.

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The room was buzzing with the merry atmosphere of Midwinter, entrenched in traditional decorations and piles of food, much of what was customary to the season. Daine eyed a large plate of pork, already carved, that she knew to have been cooked with oranges. Somebody passed her a glass of eggnog which she happily accepted, the taste of it reminding her of Midwinters spent with her ma and grandda, when they would allow her a small glass of the drink.

Numair sat next to her; Kitten perched on a stool on the other side, both busy eating. Numair was in the middle of two conversations; one with Alanna, who was sat on the other side of him and the other with Alanna's eldest son, Thom. Daine smiled as she watched her mage, his mind now taken off the day's events. She spotted Onua at the other end of the table, sat with Sarge and Buri. From the few words she could pick up on she could tell that they were discussing horses and the riders that had started that year. Daine grinned and helped herself to some of the pork that was being served.

Once the meal had been demolished, although there still seemed to be enough left to feed a small country and Jonathan was making noises about adding it to the morrow's meal, they stood up for the lighting of the Yule log.

Dusk was just falling as the king took a piece of the previous year's log and lit it from one of the large candles; he then took the piece of wood over to the hearth and lit the large log that sat there. The room was silent as the flames took over the piece of ash. Daine thought about what it was meant to represent – the rebirth of the Sun god from the fire of the Great Mother Goddess. She thought of the coming of the longer days and the new sun, which would now begin to grow stronger with each day, bringing the spring time and warmth.

The chatter began again and Daine shivered as her attention focused away from the fire, feeling the cold as if a warm blanket had been removed. She looked around and saw Sarge stand up and wander to the cupboard where the letters had been found. Thayet quickly stood up and intercepted him, without Onua noticing what was happening. She saw Sarge return to his seat, giving Thayet a strange look, and then begin a conversation with Raoul of Goldenlake who was seated near him. Daine glanced at Numair to see if he had noticed the exchange, although he obviously hadn't, being too involved in a conversation with Thom about light spells.

The evening passed pleasantly, Daine was sorry when it came to an end fairly early as people knew that it would be a hectic day tomorrow and an early start for many, particularly those with children. She helped Numair stumble back to their room after three too many glasses of lambs' wool – a rather hairy concoction made by George in a fit of inspiration that afternoon while Alanna was attempting to duel with Raoul in the snow. It should have contained a little ale, sugar, nutmeg and roasted apple pulp, but the 'little' ale had been increased as had the sugar content, hence it was rather more potent than traditionally it should have been. Daine got into bed besides Numair who was already drifting off into a deep slumber, his socks still on his feet. She smiled, hoping that tomorrow would be a pleasant day.

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The weak sun barely shone through the window, such was the thick blanket of snow that had piled up on the outside window ledge. Numair groaned at the cold on his face, wondering if the temperature had yet reached a record low. He had left the fires burning throughout the night but it didn't seem to have made too much of a difference. He pulled the sheets and blankets higher up the bed and shifted closer to Daine and Kitten, who had abandoned her own small room for the night and had crept in with them, obviously cold too. Daine stirred beside him, opening her eyes and looking into his that were just peeping over the covers.

"Happy Midwinter!" She said, her hands reaching around his waist. "It's cold, isn't it?" Her voice was muffled from underneath the covers.

"Happy Midwinter, Magelet. It's unbelievably cold. I have never known Tortall to be as cold as this. There may be problems if this weather continues," he answered in the same muffled tones.

"Sir Gareth said last night that no one should venture far out of the palace. Onua and I will have to go to the stables and check on the horses though. They still need feeding and I am concerned about the weather. Even in Snowsdale it was never like this," Daine drew warmth from her breath.

"I could come with you and put a heating spell around the stables. I know that you said Onua cast one yesterday, but my gift is stronger than hers, so it may help to provide more heat and last longer," Numair offered.

"Thank you," Daine responded, snuggling closer to him. "That would be useful. Do you think you could do something about making those fires hotter?"

"You know I'll end up burning down the palace if I try!" He laughed, feeling useless. He hated it when he couldn't give her what she wanted.

A cheep sounded from next to Daine and the small dragon sat up, her scales a strange colour of light blue.

"I think Kit's cold too," Daine murmured, trying to pull the sheet back over her charge, but Kitten moved away. She let out a long soft sound that filled the room, holding the note until Daine and Numair saw the fire begin to roar in the hearth in their bed chamber and they felt the heat gently surround them.

Daine looked at Numair almost as if he were a naughty child in trouble. "Did you know she could do that?" She demanded.

Numair, who had sat up by now shook his head in amazement. "No, I had no idea at all."

Daine looked at the dragon whose scales had now turned to lilac, the colour she became when she was pleased with herself. "Did Diamondflame teach you that?"

Kitten chirruped her affirmative response happily. Daine smiled at her. "I suppose you want your Midwinter gifts now it's warm enough to move around the room," she sighed, wondering if Midwinter morning would be like this when she had her own children. The thought made her look at Numair who had lay back down in the large bed and was smiling in contentment now that he was warming up.

"What are you smiling at?" He asked her lazily.

"I was wondering if this will be what it's like when we have our own kits," she said, half embarrassed.

Numair sat up again, and climbed out of bed, pulling Daine into his arms. "I would think we'd be woken much earlier," he said quietly into her ear, the image making his heart expand.

Daine lent in for a kiss, but they were interrupted by a now most impatient Kitten. Laughing they pulled themselves apart and began to seek the presents they had for each other and the dragon, Numair producing his from a hiding spell on his desk.

Kitten had been spoilt as usual. Some of the gifts were from both of them, including a set of fire and white opals, which weren't as expensive as the black opals used by mages such as Numair but were highly useful in conducting magic. Kitten had begun to use her own magic, frequently utilising such stones, and their gift would undoubtedly bring her many hours of amusement.

Daine sat on the edge of the bed, one of Numair's old shirts slung over her. The bedchamber was now that warm from Kitten's spell that she hadn't needed to get bundled up in clothes like she had thought she would when she had awoken in the cold. Numair passed her a pile of neatly wrapped presents, sitting next to her on the bed.

She opened them with care. Even when she had been little and still in Snowsdale she had never had as many gifts as she had had from people here, so she relished each present, giving it due care and attention. The first few presents he had given her were little tokens; perfume, a scarf, a new book on mammals that she hadn't seen before, and a set of lavender scented candles that she could light for when she was in the bath.

Then he produced a smaller parcel, which caused Kitten to trill excitedly, as if she knew what was inside it already. Daine carefully opened it, discovering a small box. Gently she opened it up and gasped.

Set into the box was a silver band, embellished with a series of small stones. Each one Daine recognised as having some magical or healing property. She saw pink lace agate, bloodstone, amber, amethyst, dark olive-green tremolite, rose quartz and a small black opal. She looked up at Numair with big eyes.

"Where did you get this from?" She asked in awe as she took the ring and gazed at it closely. Kitten trilled making each of the stones glow and the air around them vibrated madly.

"I took the stones from what I already had. They are all spelled to protect you from poisons and such, so the ring is useful as well as pretty. I had a jeweller in Corus make the ring and fit the stones. It's been made to go on your middle finger," he added, taking the ring from her and encouraging her to hold out her right hand.

Daine's face showed her amusement as he tenderly put the ring on her middle finger. "One day I will let you buy me another type of ring," she assured him as she noted the expression his face to be of slight woe.

Numair looked up from her finger. "I'm not going to push you, Daine. You know how I feel. When you're ready will be good enough for me."

She leant her head to his and kissed him slowly and softly, enjoying the gentle contact between them.

"How did you get it to fit?" She inquired when the kiss ended.

"Kitten came with me. She knew instinctively which size would be correct. Do you like it?" Numair looked pensive.

"It's fair beautiful, Numair. Thank you. Can it be spelled so it won't come of when I shape shift?"

"I have done that already," he answered quietly. "I love you, Veralidaine Sarrasri, one day Salmalin," his voice was low and gentle as he said the words. Neither were given to continuous declarations of love, so his words and what Daine figured to be the reason behind them tugged at her heart all the more. She kissed him again, wishing that they could just spend the day like this. Although they lived together it was rare that they would be able to have the whole day with no one else, except Kitten, present. Although Daine was glad the war of the summer was far behind them, she had enjoyed it when it had just been her and Numair travelling alone, and she now relished the chances when she had him all to herself.

She whispered the same words back to him, noticing Kitten scampering into her own little room with the box of stones she had been given. Numair slid her back onto the bed and they began to celebrate their first Midwinter together.

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The day went by quickly. Daine and Numair spent most of the morning visiting their various friends who were at the palace to exchange gifts. Kitten seemed to receive more presents that anyone else, even the younger children such as Lianne and Alianne having made her a present. The young dragon was constantly being petted and admired, something that she enjoyed immensely.

Her new trick was also performed a few times, warming up people's hearths and taking away the biting sting of the wintry weather. Duke Gareth had warned yet again that the weather mages had stated that it would be unwise to go outside, such was the cold. The amount of snow had now grown, and would also pose a threat to anyone who ventured out. Numair had visited the stables that morning with Daine to check on the horses and cast a warming spell over their stalls. None of the mounts seemed any the worse after the cold night, but Daine felt much happier when they left, knowing that none of them would suffer from lack of heat.

The Yule log was now smouldering, as it would do for twelve days. One of the palace mages had used his talents to make sure that the smoke drifted outside through the vent rather than choking anyone with its fumes. Daine found that she and Numair had been sat with their backs to the fire at the banqueting table, so she was grateful that it would be a smoke free meal.

Looking round the long table as she waited for the first course out of many to be served she noticed the absence of Onua and Sarge. Looking at Numair, she saw him too seeking somebody out.

"Where's Onua?" She asked, raising her eyebrows with curiosity.

"I don't know, Magelet. But it is rather strange that she isn't here. Onua's one for always being where she should be on time," Numair answered, still casting his eyes around the room for them.

"Odd's bob's Numair, she should be here by now. You don't think Thayet's had a word already, do you?" Daine said, restlessly, standing up.

"You stay here," he told her, standing up himself. "I go and have a word with Thayet. It may be nothing. There could have been a problem with one of the Rider groups."

Daine wasn't so sure. If there had been a problem with one of the Riders the whole room would have found out about it by now and Thayet would no longer be sitting there, she would have raced out to their aid, weather or no weather.

Numair rushed back round to Daine. "There's no reason why they shouldn't be here. Jonathan has already noticed and has sent a messenger to find out where they are and check that nothing's…" He stooped short as he noticed the outside door fling open, a tall, dark skinned man entering bringing what seemed like an avalanche of snow with him.

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Onua and Sarge had spent a pleasant morning in bed, unwrapping their presents and teasing each other mercilessly. Sarge had bought her ear-drops and a matching necklace, fastening them on with the tenderness that wouldn't be expected from a man of his size and stature and a tenderness that would often make her eyes fill with tears as she thought of their past histories and the future that lay ahead for them.

Just before noon, Sarge had left to go and hunt something that he thought he had left in a cupboard in the main part of the palace. Onua had not thought twice about him going. Two or three days ago he had misplaced a book of registers that he kept, placing it – or so he thought – down next to a pile of old Midwinter decorations. Using his logic, he had imagined that Thayet or whoever had cleared up the items had packed this book away with them.

Sarge knew that Midwinter objects were kept in a little cupboard just off from the main hall, which was where he had tried to go the previous evening, but had been halted by Thayet. He had been anxious to find the book, having no other copies of the information that was kept in it, so he decided to quickly go and look for it, before returning to Onua.

The cupboard was dark, and only had one candle which gave out a very poor light. He stumbled around, feeling around for the box where he was sure he would find his book. Using the candle for light he came across the same box that Thayet had found the day before, and immediately noticed Onua's name on a set of letters. He picked up the box, merely thinking that some well-meaning person had simply tidied them away instead of throwing them out with the rubbish and looked around once more.

Eventually he found it, buried beneath a string of red and gold bows. Tucking the book under his arm, he picked up Onua's box of letter and headed off back to their rooms. Glancing at the box he saw that one of the letters was dated fairly recently, glancing again, wondering why such personal things as letter had been stuffed into a cupboard he noticed the name scrawled at the bottom of one, _Bristan Laedin, _Onua's husband.

Sarge sat down on a seat placed for decorative purposes in one of the corridors. He gently placed the box of letters down and his book and put his head in his hands. The letter he had seen had been written and sent to her the day that they had moved in together. He breathed deeply, wondering what a fool he had been. She had sworn that she hadn't heard from him in years, that she had never loved him, and after how he had beaten her during nearly all the time that they had been married she would as soon the earth swallowed her up than have anything to do with him again.

He stepped back into their rooms, finding her lying on top of the covers, one of his long shirts over her, her dark hair sprayed over the white sheets.

"I missed you," she purred, holding out her arms for him to come to her. He froze, staring at her as if she was some new immortal that he wasn't sure what he needed to do with it, whether to attack or run.

"What's the matter?" Onua had sat up, her eyes filling with worry and concern.

"You lied to me," Sarge said quietly, the rage building inside him not spilling out.

Onua closed her eyes and breathed deeply, as if she knew what he was referring to. "The letters…" she began.

"Yes," Sarge said, still in the same gentle tone. "The ones from your husband that you hid in the stockroom when you were moving your things," it all made sense now.

"It isn't like that," she began to defend herself. "It's…"

"Save it, Onua," Sarge muttered. "I'm sure you have your reasons, but you should have told me before I found out." He stood up and walked out of the room, not sure where he was going, but knowing that he had to get as far away from her as possible.

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Onua sat on the bed with her knees pulled up to her chin and began to cry, sobbing as she had never done in her life. The biggest part of her wanted to go after her lover and try to get him to listen to her, so she could explain why she had had so many letters from a man she protested to hate.

Still crying, she stood up and began to pull clothes on over the shirt, wanting to cling onto that one item, as if it was Sarge himself. She inhaled deeply, smelling the material and his woody scent and wishing desperately to be in his arms. She pulled on as many layers as she could, knowing that she needed to keep warm to protect herself from the conditions outside. She figured he had gone to the stables as that was where he usually went when he needed some time to think. By the time she had dressed and gotten there, hopefully he would have calmed down and be ready to listen to reason. She raced outside, the tears still pouring down her cheeks and set off, hoping to find some way to make him understand.

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Sarge returned to their rooms after several hours of wandering around the less populated areas of the palace, pulling his thoughts together and deciding that he had been unreasonable, that Onua had always been trustworthy and fair and loving… and many other things he had never thought he would experience with another human being. He was concerned to find that she wasn't there and that several items of clothing had gone.

Reasoning to himself out loud, he figured that she had probably gone to check on the horses as she hadn't been there this morning. He sat down on the bed that they shared and wished that he hadn't been such a bumbling, righteous idiot by not giving her a chance to speak.

The box of letters sat beside him. He stared at them for a little while, wondering what was written in them. After much deliberation, curiosity finally got the better of him and he took them out and began to read.

In total there were ten letters, dated over two years and all but one were from her husband. Reading them he realised that her husband was now in prison in Carthak and was waiting for the death penalty to be administered. The story would have been a sad one, but for his knowledge of what the man had done to Onua. Bristan Laedin had been sentenced to death for the murder of the wife of a Copper Isles' ambassador after she had refused to be drawn into an affair with him. The whole scene had been observed by a maid who had hidden in the wardrobe, too afraid to do anything to help. Laedin's letters had ranged from blaming Onua for what had happen, making Sarge cringe when his attested all the responsibility to her for being a bad wife and leaving him, to begging her for forgiveness and asking her to ask Jonathan to intervene on her behalf.

Sarge hung his head in shame, partly for reading things that were obviously private and partly for not giving her the chance to explain and just walking out. He felt he was no better than the husband she had escaped from several years ago. He understood why she hadn't told anyone about what was happening – too many questions would be asked, and although they would have all been out of concern, Onua was too private for that. Jonathan would have offered his help should she have wanted it, thus putting her in the position whereby if she didn't say yes, she was having a hand in sending a man to his death,

Sarge stood up, determined to find her and persuade her that he knew he was an idiot, but he hoped she would love him anyway. He pulled on his jacket and headed towards the stables, the icy cold feeling as though it was freezing the very blood running through his veins.

There was no sign of Onua having been in the stables, or anywhere in close proximity to them. He continued his search, still unable to find her. The weather was worsening, and Sarge was beginning to worry. Hopefully he began to look inside the palace, the corridors empty as everyone had started to gather in the main hall for the celebrations. There was still no sign of her. He tracked back outside, looking in all the places where he might expect to see her. Her horses were both inside their stalls so he knew that she hadn't intended to have gone far, which was some relief, but not enough.

Now panicking, he raced towards the courtyard, trying to get his legs to move although they were now numb with the cold. He could barely see such was the blanket of white around him. He jolted open the doors into the main hall. Looking around with dying hope that Onua would be sat at the tables, telling everyone what a complete dolt he was.

She wasn't there. His heart went numb with fear and guilt. "Onua…" he began, before he fell to his knees, calling out in anguish.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I apologise in advance for any mistakes. Its late, I'm tired and this is the longest chapter I've ever done. Please review and make it all worth while! Next chapter will be up tomorrow (Sunday).


	6. Midwinter Part III

**Lady Tonks of Wolf's Rock: **Many thanks! Here's is the update, keep reviewing! **NB44: **It wasn't exactly my favourite chapter to write either. I've written a Midwinter before in Interlude, so it felt a little writing by numbers, although a part in this chapter made me cry when I wrote it (slightly hormonal!). See what you think. **Aravilui: **Thank you! That was a very kind review! **Daine's Daughter: **You know I don't kill off characters! Onua will be fine! **Silverlake: **I really like writing cliffies – and reading them! **Bitterosemary: **I have to pinch myself to remember to put Kitten in sometimes! She was useful in this chapter though. **Celuna Cirrus: **Everything about Onua will be revealed… **Sonnet Lacewing: **Numair is a typical – but very nice! – man. Chris is also a typical – but pain in the butt – man. He's just left for work and forgot to switch the heating on, so its now perishing! **Aikia Riyen: **I've just reread WM, and that was something I picked up on. Interesting. How's your hats? **Dolphin Dreamer: **It may be small magic for him, I suppose. Sometimes I do write things without thinking about it (I also say things like that too, which can get me into trouble!)!

**Disclaimer: It belongs to Tamora Pierce. **

**Midwinter III**

Chapter 3 – Wassailing

Daine's response was immediate. She shifted into the form of a large snowy owl, knowing that this would give her clear eyesight as well as the physical attributes to protect her from the cold. From Sarge's reaction, Onua was somewhere outside in the freezing snow. This was officially the coldest winter Corus had experienced in over fifty years, and if Onua had been out in it for any length of time then she could be in serious trouble. Daine shot through the door, noticing Kalasin and Lianne looking wistfully up at her. She also spotted Numair pointing briefly to her as she flew towards the doors that were still open after Sarge's dramatic entrance. She knew that Numair would be gathering facts; he had seated Sarge next to him, and was probably near interrogating the man as to where he had looked for the horse mistress. However, given that it wasn't known quite how long Onua had been outside for, Daine thought that she had better start looking immediately, and hopefully Numair would send her a speech spell if they discovered anything extra.

She flew quickly, her eyes continuously scanning the ground for signs of Onua. She saw no footprints around any side of the palace, although Daine assumed that this was because the snow was falling in such great quantities that any footprints would have been buried.

If the occasion had have been different then Daine would have enjoyed the flight through the snow, looking at all the trees and fields covered with the soft, white powder. She spotted icicles hanging for some of the larger branches and as she flew over the waterfall that was some way from the palace she saw that it too had frozen, creating a scene that was like something from a faerie wonderland.

Yet there was no sign of Onua. She headed back toward the palace, aiming to do a closer look around the stables. If Onua had gone anywhere today it would have been to check on the mounts there. Daine knew that that would have been the first place that Sarge had looked, and indeed, she could just make out his huge footprints that were quickly being buried under fresh snow. Sarge had obviously searched for Onua while he was feeling panicked and worried; he had also not had the benefit of a bird's eye view. Daine could see any unusual bumps in the ground, any gates that had been left strangely open and any places that might suggest that Onua had been there of was still there. From growing up in a place like Snowsdale, where the winters were always severe, Daine knew that if Onua had taken a fall or become unconscious due to the bitter cold then the falling snow would have covered her, and provided a layer that would have insulated her. Her heartbeat would have slowed and her mind would have drifted in a deep sleep.

The area around the stables appeared as normal, but for the fast disappearing imprints of Sarge's boots. Daine started to head to the other side of the palace, where Onua may have possibly exited the building and then walked around. Daine flew close to the ground, her sharp owl eyes scanning for any bump that looked unnatural. She noticed what looked like a small, snow covered rock jutting out of the level cover of snow. Flying down, she landed on it and began to attempt to dust off some of the snow using her beak. A few seconds of doing that and she began to form an idea of what might have happened to Onua. If she had walked around the palace this way,

she probably wouldn't have noticed the large rock, which would have been embedded in the snow, particularly if she wasn't concentrating on where she was putting her feet anyway.

Daine wondered what to do. She was certain that Onua had tripped and fell; the different levels in the snow certainly suggested that. She hopped around, looking for any signs that Onua had fallen. Changing shape, so it was easier to move in the snow and run across the ground, Daine became an arctic wolf, a smaller, pure white version of one of the animals she felt closest to. For a brief moment she revelled in the stronger senses she had, smelling the air around her and the ease of having four paws instead of just two. She padded around the area, sniffing deeply to try and pick up Onua's strong scent. She automatically noticed another familiar smell, and barked a greeting. Tahoi ran to her, his tail between his legs.

_This is my fault, _the large dog told her, automatically recognising Daine. _I should have gone with her when she went looking for the big man. But it was so cold and the fire was warm…_

_It isn't your fault, it's no one's fault, _Daine reassured him. _But we need to find her, and two noses will be better than one._

They both began to sniff at the snow, trying to pick up on any trace of Onua. The snow muffled scents, making it a difficult job. Daine was beginning to think she was following a false lead when she heard Tahoi begin to bark loudly and rapidly. She ran to him, where he had uncovered a patch of red, blood stained snow, not far from where Daine had found the rock that she thought Onua may have stumbled over. She sniffed around the area and managed to pick up the scent by which she knew the horse mistress. She and Tahoi began to run towards a slight incline, at the bottom of which was an unfamiliar mass. They began to move away the snow on top of it and in a matter of seconds had uncovered the body of Onua Chamtong.

Daine told Tahoi to stay with his mistress while she went to find Numair. The big dog was crying loudly, and Daine didn't ask him to stop, knowing that the noise would lead people to the area maybe quicker than she could find Numair and bring him back. Running as fast as she could, she discovered the mage with Alanna, Harailt and Lindhall, all wrapped up and making their way in the direction of the stables. She altered her wolf head to that of her own so she could speak, thus creating a look of shock on the Lioness's face, such was the strangeness of the sight.

"We've found her. She's near the hill that leads over to the north east forest," Daine said, panting slightly with the run.

"Is she alive?" Alanna asked, beginning to move in the direction that Daine had indicated.

"I don't know. I didn't check for a pulse. The layer of snow on top of her would have kept her warm…" Daine began. Alanna nodded, and began to run, Numair and Lindhall following. It was heavy work for the three humans as the snow was deep and it was tiring to lift feet out of it, but in a few minutes they had reached where Onua lay, Tahoi still standing guard over her, howling loudly.

Alanna knelt down beside Onua and checked with her gift for her heart. "She's breathing," she announced, looking up briefly from her patient. "We need to give her warm air to breath. Numair took off his thick coat and handed it to Alanna. Alanna placed it over her and Onua's faces, warming the oxygen that Onua was inhaling. Daine could see purple fire surrounding the horse mistress and knew that Alanna was using her gift to heal what damage the cold had done.

After five or so minutes, Alanna instructed Numair and Harailt to pick Onua up and get her back to the infirmary and Duke Baird as soon as they could. They headed quickly back to the palace, a pause in the falling of the snow assisting them, although they still had to contend with the lack of light.

Daine ran back to her rooms, quickly shifting back to her own form once she had privacy and dressing in breeches and a warm shirt, with several more layers underneath. Her dress she would recover from the hall later. She looked down at her right hand and saw Numair's ring still on her finger. Feeling a warm glow inside her, she headed straight to the infirmary, desperate to check on her friend.

Several people were crowded around Onua's bed already. Sarge was sat next to her, his large hands covering hers, a look of worry etched upon his face. Onua still hadn't recovered consciousness; her eyes remained closed and she lay as still as stone. Numair saw Daine and came over to her, putting an arm around her shoulder and kissing her curls.

"You did well, Magelet," he told her. "She's expected to recover with no damage done. There's no problem with her lungs, thank to Alanna's air warming and no sign of frostbite. She will just need to rest."

"Shouldn't we let her and Sarge be?" Daine asked, wondering why so many people were overflowing Duke Baird's rooms.

"Yes. We do have Midwinter to celebrate, and it will only make Onua feel worse if everything else was forgotten because of what has happened," Numair left her briefly to go to the king. Daine saw Jonathan nod in agreement and begin to ask people to return to the hall, where the rest of the celebratory dinner would be served.

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The atmosphere of the meal had been curtailed by Onua's condition; although she was going to make a complete recovery, and the latest reports form the infirmary suggested that she had begun to wake, people were sobered by the knowledge of what could have been. She had been lucky. It had been estimated that she had been outdoors for five hours; any longer and it was doubtful that she would have made it.

The main noise in the room came from the children, who didn't quite understand what the possible outcomes of the situation could have been and were now happily playing with their new toys or, as in the case of Liam and Jasson, chasing each other around the room that linked on to the hall. Daine watched them in amusement, knowing that at some point one of them would fly into one of the chair legs and it would all end in tears.

Daine sat close to Numair, who was making the most of having a Midwinter where there would be no sudden need to use his gift to destroy any immortals, and indulging himself in the correctly made Lamb's Wool, that Alanna had kept George far away from while it was being mixed. Unfortunately, however much Numair seemed to drink, his head never hurt too much the following day. Sometimes, Daine wished it would, and then at least it might deter him from drinking so much that she almost had to carry him up the stairs to their rooms.

The tables were cleared and music began. Daine felt herself being glided about the dance floor in a slow manner, leaning into the mage, his hair neatly clipped back at the base of his neck and one ruby drop that hung from his left ear that Daine knew to hold spells for extending his hearing. He wore smart, black breeches and a white linen shirt that Daine had ironed for him the previous day. Daine looked into his eyes, which were dancing at they regarded her, and she remembered the shock waves that she had felt when he first kissed her, several months ago now. She put her arms tightly around his broad chest and drew herself closer, needing to have every part of her touching him.

"What are you thinking?" Numair asked her, just about managing to lead her in time with the music with her standing so close.

"Just how glad I am that I fell down that cliff when we were in the divine realms," she answered, moving her lips up to his by standing on tiptoes and pulling him down. "Otherwise, we might still have been gazing across the room at each other, with all our friends wondering when we were actually going to confess what we felt."

Numair grinned. He had endured a torturous few months in many ways, having to hide what he felt from Daine, not knowing if even dropping a hint about how he felt was inappropriate, given that she was his student and that he was fourteen years her elder. Now she was his lover and was now living with him. They both readily accepted that they were the each the other half of the other, and somehow became complete when they were together.

"Who says that I would be gazing across the room at you?" He asked with mock indignance. "There would be plenty of ladies here who I may also wish to attempt to court."

Daine pulled a face at him. "I would be careful what you say, Master Numair, else you may be very cold in that big bed tonight, all by yourself."

Numair smiled, kissing her softly. "I would indeed be gazing at you, as I have done for most of tonight, even though you have been sat next to me. I probably would have gone out of my mind by now, had I not confessed. Either that, or I would have blurted it out in such a pathetic and strange manner that you would have run away from me and never wanted to see me again."

Daine laughed at the idea, considering it to be completely ridiculous. "I can't imagine not being here with you like this. I think by now that I would have had to have told you. I never quite understood what I was feeling until we kissed, and then it all came rushing home."

Numair leant down and kissed her again, feeling more relaxed and happy than he had done in his life. "Shall we go to bed?" He whispered into her ear. "It looks like Kitten will be occupied with the children for a while longer."

Daine looked at him with laughing eyes. "It's fair early yet, Numair," she looked around room. People were dancing and talking, she saw Alanna and George kissing under the mistletoe and Buri and Raoul sharing a dance together. In one corner she could see and hear Jasson being told off by his father for pinching one of Lianne's toys. The small boy was now stamping his feet dramatically and telling Jonathan that he hated him. Daine smothered a small smile and looked at the mage, whose attention had also been caught by the child.

"I bet you were like that when you were small," Daine said, teasingly.

"Never! I was a good child!" Numair protested. "Really, Daine, I don't think anyone will notice if we slip away." His voice quietened as he said the last part.

Daine gave him a smile that made his legs turn to jelly and his heart melt. "Okay," she said softly. "No one will notice if we slip away for half an hour."

"Half an hour?" Numair responded indignantly. "I would hope we'll be longer than that!"

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Sarge sat by Onua's bed, his hand covering hers. Everyone had left them now, giving her the peace that she needed to recuperate. She hadn't woken yet from the deep slumber that worried him so, although she had begun to move some, her fingers locking around his and her lips opening as if she was about to say something. He wondered what she would have to say to him when she woke up. If it was him he would be furious. Sarge knew that he should have allowed her to answer, to reason with him, and instead he had behaved like an idiot and stormed off, only thinking of his own selfish being. He knew Onua better than to believe that she would do anything to hurt him. Tears stung his eyes as he looked at her, wondering if on the morrow he would be moving back into his old rooms. He desperately hoped not, wishing with all his heart that she would forgive him, and that they could continue their relationship.

Onua's eyelids began to twitch open and she looked into the face of her lover.

"Sarge!" She called before feeling the contents of her stomach turn over and begun to heave. The man pushed a bowl under her, which she vomited into. The healers had warned him that it would be likely side effect as they suspected that she had knocked her head on a stone when she had fallen, and would now have concussion.

Once she had recovered herself, Onua sank her back onto the comfy headboard of the bed and looked rather embarrassed as she met Sarge's eyes.

"I'm sorry," she began. "I didn't want you to see me like that."

Sarge shook his head, wondering how he could make this up to her. "I'm sorry I ran off like a fool. I should have listened to what you had to say…" He suddenly found it difficult to speak, something the trainees would have found amusing, as many of them had wished he had lost the ability to communicate many-a-time.

"No," she stopped him from trying to carry on. "You reacted like that for a reason. I should have told you about the letters from Bristan when we first got involved." She stopped, nausea taking over her again. Sarge held her hair away from her face as she vomited.

"Maybe we should save the explanations until you're feeling better," he suggested, stroking her hair back from her face.

"Maybe," she responded quietly, turning her head to look at him. "Did you read the letters?"

Sarge felt extremely guilty and dishonest. He nodded, not knowing what to say.

Onua smiled, the last thing he though she would do. "I'm glad. I was going to show you anyway. I had hoped that it would explain why I had never said anything before about him writing to me," she looked at his face for his reaction and only saw an emotion there that made her heart sing when she recognised it.

One of the healers popped her head round the curtains that separated the bed from the rest of the room so the occupier could be quite private. She noticed that Onua was awake and went in to check on her.

"Good to see you're back with us," the healer – Michaiah – said softly. "It looks like you had a fall and banged your head. That probably knocked you out. Why you were outdoors in this weather is beyond me!" Michaiah had been a healer at the palace since Jonathan was a baby and there was little that she hadn't seen in her career. She eyed Sarge, still clutching at Onua's hand, and looked at the horse mistress. Although no one had told her what had gone on, she had a very good idea.

"Next time you have a quarrel, keep it in your own room. You'll have a much comfier bed to make up in," she said, a wry smile on her face as she used her gift to heal the large gash on Onua's face where she had knocked herself.

Sarge felt himself blush at the words, thinking how ridiculous the situation had been and the result of it all. The Midwinter dinner had been stopped because of them, people had been outside in the atrocious weather conditions because of a silly argument. He looked at Onua, her face showing the discomfort she was in as the healer did her job. Michaiah checked the patient's head with her gift, nodding as she finished.

"You've been lucky, girl. Don't go taking no walks outside in weather like this again. Next time the gods might not be smiling on you," the healer said with a smile. She turned to Sarge, addressing him. "She'll be fine to spend the night in her own rooms; you can take her back in another two or three hours. She needs to be kept warm and quiet and if she goes to sleep and you can't wake her then you will need to bring her back here, although if I thought that was going to happen I wouldn't let her go." Smiling at them, Michaiah left to go and check on the rest of the patients; one of the King's Own had just been brought it after consuming too much wassail, and falling down in a heap when he attempted to find his rooms.

Sarge swung his long legs up on the bed, and put his arm around Onua so that her head could rest on his chest. She saw the scars on his wrists from where he had been bound as a slave and gently moved her fingers over them. When she looked up at him, he saw that she was crying silently, the tears running down her cheeks like a river.

"What's the matter?" he asked, knowing that whenever she was upset he felt like his own heart was breaking.

"I thought you wouldn't want me back," she told him, the words straining to get through her tears. "I knew I should have told you about the letters from Bristan, and about how he wanted me to go to the king so Jonathan would intervene and grant him a reprieve. But I didn't want him to get a reprieve. He killed another woman, Sarge, because she wouldn't share his bed. I was ashamed enough of what he did to me, but to have people know that my ex-husband murdered someone…"

Sarge kissed the top of her head. "Chances are if you had told me I would have gone to Carthak and killed him myself. You were forced into an arranged marriage with him, Onua, he left you for dead after putting you through hell. For that I would like to squeeze my hands around his neck. I just want you to know that you can tell me anything, though. I want you to," Sarge felt a little concerned when her tears came quicker. He wondered if he had said the wrong things, having never spoken words like that to any one before.

"Why have I made you cry more? Have I said something I shouldn't?" He asked in a quiet voice, concerned reflecting in his eyes. He put a finger under Onua's chin and tilted her head so she looked up at him. Her lips began to quiver as she spoke.

"I love you," she said quietly when the tears would allow her. Sarge lowered his head down and kissed her, realising that they were stronger than any snowstorm or ex-husband put together.

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Daine and Numair emerged after a slightly longer length of time than they had anticipated, Daine with rather flushed cheeks and Numair looking quite pleased with himself. Their absence hadn't gone unnoticed by Thayet who eyed them keenly as they re-entered the hall. The younger children had now been put to bed, Jasson's outburst illustrating how tired they were after such a long, exhausting day.

Thayet beckoned Numair and Daine to sit with her and Jonathan, who were now sitting rather serenely at a table, wielding glasses of wassail and enjoying the rest of the child-free evening.

"And where have you two been?" Thayet enquired in her cool tones.

Daine blushed. Numair smiled. "We, er, went to admire the stars," the mage explained.

Jonathan smiled viciously. "Numair, it's snowing. There are no stars to be seen tonight."

Numair shot him a look he could be jailed for. Thayet laughed and let the subject go, not needing any further details.

"Onua has woken and been allowed back to her rooms," she informed them, smiling.

"That was quick!" Numair exclaimed. "I thought she would have been two or three days at least. She was out in the snow for hours!"

Thayet shook her head. "She always was as tough as old boots. The healing Alanna gave her on sight helped a great deal, and as she collapsed into a slight drift the snow insulated her, stopping any hypothermia from setting in. The worst thing she had was concussion."

"And she and Sarge are fair well?" Daine asked, as Kitten bounded up to her and scrambled onto her knee and then across to Numair's.

"Mithos, Mynos and Shakith, Kit! We need to stop you eating so much! You're getting a little heavy to be sat their now!" Numair said to the small dragon, who managed to look hurt at his words.

"You've offended her now!" Thayet scolded. "Anyway. Yes, Onua and Sarge are both fine. He came down briefly to tell us how she was with a massive beaming smile on his face. I didn't ask for any details…"

"I'm not quite sure how you managed that, actually," Jonathan interrupted. "I was quite surprised when you didn't interrogate him!"

Thayet shot him a look of death, which just cause the king to smile sweetly. "He's obviously very happy, so everything must have been resolved," she finished, taking a gulp of the glass of wassail.

"Here's to Onua and Sarge, then," Numair held up a glass of the traditional Midwinter drink that a page had just brought to him in a toast.

"Onua and Sarge," the other three echoed his words, chinking their glasses together.

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Daine woke the following morning with a head that felt like someone had used it as target practise in a rock throwing contest. Groaning, she dug Numair in the back with her knee and made him wake up.

"My head hurts. Can I have some of that thing that you give to Harailt when he had too much wine?" She begged, her hands holding her pounding head.

Numair laughed softly and got out of the bed, throwing a nearby towel around his naked form. He grabbed a bottle of his hangover remedy and passed it to Daine.

"You didn't have that much to drink," he smiled, as she drank the noxious liquid.

"I just think it doesn't agree with me very much," she answered, her head immediately beginning to clear. "How come you never have to take any of this?"

Numair curled back up in bed, moving himself closer to his lover. "I inherited my father's talent for not having any repercussions with alcohol," he explained. Daine nestled up to his chest and began to nuzzle the black hair that was scattered on it. Numair shivered, feeling his body react. He wondered if it would always be like this with them, with his thirst for her unquenched. She smiled at him, those big blue-grey eyes looking into his.

"Magelet," he began, knowing the answer to what he was going to say already, but needing to say it anyway. "Marry me?"

Daine nuzzled in closer to his chest, not responding to his question just yet. She kissed his neck, feeling his skin develop tiny bumps as she moved across it. She moved her head away and looked at him.

"I think we should stick to what we decided before," she said, seeing the hurt in his eyes. "Numair…"

"Sshhh," he whispered, his hand going to her bare back and moving her as close as possible to him. "I knew the answer when I asked, but I needed to ask it anyway. I have never experienced these emotions before, and its one of the ways I can react to them."

Daine giggled and kissed him. "One day I'll say yes, she promised. "How are we going to spend the day?" She changed the subject, not wanting to dwell too much on the topic.

"I thought we might spend some of the morning here," Numair began, his hand trailing delightfully across Daine's back. "Then later this afternoon we are going to go and wassail the trees."

Daine looked at him suspiciously.

"It's a ceremony to thank the trees for their fruit and ask them to produce more in the next year. It's meant to wake them up now that the days are beginning to grow longer. It's an old tradition, first…"

Daine let him talk for a little longer, explaining all the details that he knew about the tradition of wassailing. She ran her fingers over his chest and gave him a look that stopped his speech.

"I like the part about staying here best," she told him quietly, and occupied his mouth with hers.

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_Expect the first chapter of Imbolc to be up tomorrow (morning in the uk - so you Americans will still be asleep when I'm posting!). I will carry into on in this story as Imbolc PartI._

_ This is on the condition that I get lots of_ **REVIEWs**


	7. Imbolc Part I

**Lady Tonks of Wolf's Rock: **You're first again! I'm caught between a rock and a hard place with regards to drama. With it being set in Tortall, it's never quiet, and if I keep it serene, then some people suggest that it's too slow. I have taken your point, so expect a relatively peaceful Ostara. **Bitterosemary: **I hope you like this. Your information was very useful, I may have some weblinks that you might find interesting, so I'll send them on to you if you want. I am including another old character in Ostara. As these are only three chapter stories I can't over do the plot, so I'm finding one of the most interesting things is to develop on certain characters. **Jade-Viper08: **I struggled with Aly's age. At first I was thinking there was about ten years between her and Daine as Aly's 16 in TC and Daine is 26 when she has Sarralyn in the same book. I don't think that I was accurate on this. According to a Tortall timeline, Kally was 4 when Aly was born, so that would make Aly around 7 years old, still young enough to get covered in chocolate spread (the kids in my class manage it wonderfully). I also think that being the only girl, she might have been slightly babied, but hey, it's all people's own interpretations of it. I think someone needs to have a go at doing another timeline! **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you. **Dolphin Dreamer: **You spelt vulnerability right, btw! With the speech spell, Numair did use one to talk to Daine in RotG, when he sent her a kiss as well. Thank you as always! **Fayrey: **Your comments are really useful, please review more! Dialogue is my weak point (among others!). When I first posted Interlude, one of my friends who writes had a read (he was in Oz at the time!) and said that he found my speech wooden. I have probably been over compensating for that remark ever since. I need to revert back a tad I think. Why are you not supposed to want more DN fluff, btw? **Aravilui: **Me recapture Tammy's magic? That's a wonderful compliment, thank you! **Neals Chick: **Some of the research I did for Imbolc, suggested it was a little bit like Valentine's day, so I will have some fluff in this story, probably in Part III! **Lime 63: **Thank you for your reviews! I'm glad you're liking each one more – I hope my writing is improving. **Jess: **That is what I was aiming for! Thank you! **Goldeneyedwildmage: **I was worried when you didn't review! Sonnet gets sneak preview of these chapters, she usually checks for typos and other error that I am so good at making! Make sure you review this soon, else I will be concerned that you've been kidnapped! **Sonnet Lacewing: **Sarge will be in this one as well, being all hard and manly. I'm not impressing myself with these stories. After this I may do something on a different genre to freshen up, possibly a Bones fic. I've changed which book I'm going to write first, so that will help me prepare. **Myrtle Riddle: **Thank you! **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you. I hope they were sweet and not corny!

**A/N: The rituals have been taken from a superb website – tryskelion , if you put the three www before it and dotcom at the end you will find them there. I have adapted them somewhat to suit the purpose, but this was a really useful source of information. I hope it's okay to use the proper wording rather than make up my own, i am disclaiming it below.**

**Disclaimer: _The characters and setting all belong to Tamora Pierce, as always. The words in the Imbolc ritual have been discovered on a website offering suggestions for Inbolc ceremonies. To my knowledge they are used by Wiccans or people who want to offer their respect to the Goddessand have been reproduced here with good intentions - to inform readers and myself of these practices and to show respect for the tradition by keeping to what would actually be said at such a ceremony. IfI have misinterpreted anything, it is entirely my own fault._**

**Imbolc Part I **

The Tower

Daine looked round at the place that she referred to as home and smiled, taking in the grand brickwork, old but sturdily constructed, with the ivy creeping up right to the top of the tall tower. She took a key from her pocket and inserted it into the lock, hearing it creak as it turned, not having been opened for several weeks. Bracing herself, as it was as cold inside as it was out, she entered, running straight for the fire in the large ground floor room, pleased that she and Numair had thought on to rebuild it before they left so that all she had to do now was light it.

It was the eve of Imbolc, and Daine had left Pirate's Swoop early to warm the Tower before the rest of the women got their. It had been Alanna's suggestion that they celebrated Imbolc traditionally and having Thayet lead the rituals, with the men being invited to the ceremony later on. Daine had offered the use of the Tower for the occasion, hers and Numair's home, although she had felt obligated to check with him first.

"Magelet," he had responded. "It's your home too. You don't need to ask me if you can go there. You live there." He had kissed her curls quickly and returned to his experiment which she had interrupted momentarily.

Now she was there for the first time on her own and beginning to feel as if it was really her home, not needing Numair to let her in or show her where things were. She had left her bags at the door, when she went rushing in to get the fire blazing. She now returned for them, taking them up the stairs to their bedroom. She hadn't needed to bring much in the way of clothing or toiletries, having a lot of things there already, but she had brought some of the items that they would need for Imbolc, and hopefully Alanna would remember to pick up the bags with the rest of the essentials in them.

Daine went into each room in the Tower, lighting each of the fires so that it wouldn't be too cold when the other women got there. She was always amazed by the size of the building; it seemed as if many large rooms had been neatly fitted into what looked like a small tower. Each floor had three rooms, except the ground one, which was a huge main room and a kitchen, with a long banqueting table down the middle. There were twelve floors in total, including a deep cellar, which also had a tunnel that led out under the ground into the nearby forest. The Tower had stood for over four hundred years, and Numair had not really explained how he had come by it, merely smiling whenever Daine had inquired as to when he had bought it, or who had owned it before.

She quickly made up four other beds beside her own, making a mental note to persuade Numair to hire a maid to get things like this ready before they arrived in future. Daine was not lazy or afraid of hard work, but almost four years of living at the palace had tarnished her housekeeping skills, and she knew that she would not always have time to prepare the place for guests in the future. It would make sense to employ a maid, although preferably one who would know not to disturb Numair in the middle of an experiment, as the previous one had done and had subsequently been dismissed – and had she not been dismissed she certainly would not have even considered continuing to work for the mage.

She expected Alanna, Thayet, Onua and Buri to arrive shortly as they had been planning to leave roughly an hour after her in order to be there with time enough to prepare for the festival; making candles, grain dollies, dreams pillows and the food that they would eat when celebrating Imbolc that evening and on the morrow. For now, though, she needed to ride out to the local farm and buy milk to use in their cook and in the various rituals that they would carry out.

She mounted Cloud, who was already tacked up, and headed off to the farm. As she rode she noticed the crocuses that were poking their heads up through the ground, illustrating the beginning of spring. Patches of snow lay scattered around, winter not having been totally eradicated by the growing sun. Imbolc was her favourite festival as it showed that spring was almost there, being the celebration of growth and renewal, the earth's belly beginning to stir after the darkened rest of winter.

Daine rode quickly to the farm, not wishing to be absent when the rest arrived. She was known to the farmer's wife, having spent time in Numair's tower with him before they became lovers. Brielyn was pleased to see the young women dismount her horse and come running to the farm, opening up her arms to embrace the girl as she came flying down the path.

"Goddess bless!" She smiled. "Ye look all grown up. I suppose ye'd be after some milk for the sabbat, now?"

Daine smiled, returning Brielyn's friendly hug. "I have come for milk. I don't suppose you know of someone who'd be willing to look after the Tower while me and Numair are away in future?" Daine asked as the elder woman bent down to pick up a pair of pitchers with lids. "We could do with someone to air the place, making the beds up and such before we get here. It's been such a rush today."

"Ye've got company, then?" Brielyn asked, leading Daine over to the cows and passing her a pitcher. "Here y'are, lass. Ye know what te do."

Daine began to milk the heifer, the act bringing back memories from when she was a child. She could see Brielyn thinking as she filled the other pitcher.

"I've a daughter who would be willin' to help," she answered eventually. "She's only a little 'un – fourteen, but she's hard workin'. If you could get word to us when ye are comin' up, she'll sort t'house out for ye. She could bob in on a day and tidy up an' th'like, see to it that ye 'ave fresh milk an' bread."

"That would be exactly what we'd need," Daine replied enthusiastically. "She needn't deal with Numair," she reassured. "I'd see that she would be paid and let her know what chores she needed to do."

Brielyn nodded. "That would be what she'd 'ave worried about, Master Numair isn't the easiest goin' of people when e's occupied, is he?"

Daine laughed, wondering if Numair realised the reputation he had created for himself. Then she saw Brielyn redden.

"I'm sorry, Daine. I forgot ye was with him. I know 'e's a good man, 'e were very good with th'old man who used te have the Tower, I didn't mean to offend ye," the woman apologised.

"Don't be silly!" Daine replied. "Numair can be a real dolt sometimes, especially when he's busy with his work. Who had the Tower before Numair?"

Brielyn took a deep inhalation of breath before she began. "He were an ol' man, a bachelor, an' he didn't 'ave the Tower for too long before 'e died. Master Numair used te come up most weeks an' check on 'im, get 'im 'is food in and leave us money to take 'im fresh milk up every day. I don't know 'ow 'e knew 'im, but 'e cared fer 'im like 'e were 'is own father. When the ol' man died, it were Master Numair who took care o' the funeral an' the estate. The Tower were empty fer a while, then Master Numair bought it. Turns out tha' the ol' man 'ad a widow who 'e were separated from, back in another country an' the money went te 'er. 'E paid a lot fer it, didn't get it cheap, like."

A thought crossed Daine's mind briefly, before she realised that her pail was almost full.

She stood up, thanking the heifer using mind speak.

"How much do I owe you?" She asked the woman, who had finished at more or less the same time.

Brielyn shook her head. "Tisn't necessary," she said. "Ye are givin' our Raelyn a job, tha's more than enough."

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Daine arrived back at the Tower as the other four women got there, dismounting and leading their horses into the stables. Although one of them was royalty, and one of them the King's Champion there were no complaints about having to see to their own mounts, a fact that still surprised Daine even now.

They had brought Mangle with them to carry their packs and the extra bags that were full of what they needed for the various activities they planned to do to celebrate Imbolc. Daine took those bags and the milk and led the way into the tower, feeling rather like a pack horse herself.

She felt an overwhelming sense of pride as they entered. She had been in their accommodation many times, and envied them for having a place that they could call home. Now she had a proper home of her own, where she could bring her friends and welcome them. Thayet saw the young woman's face light up as they entered and guessed the thought behind the expression.

"You've really made this place much more homey," she told Daine, admiring the little ornaments, some that she and Jonathan had given as gifts. "When it was just Numair was living here it was purely a place for him to sleep and work, he gave no thoughts to little comforts."

"That surprised me when I first came here," Daine told her as she led the way up the spiralling staircase to take them to their bed chambers. "He has lots of nice things at the palace, but had very little here. It was the basics."

Alanna laughed. "Numair didn't do any entertaining here, that might be why," she chuckled.

Daine forced a smile, not really liking Alanna's reference to Numair's chequered love life.

"He came here to get away from court life," Thayet said gently, putting her bags down on the bed that Daine ushered her to. "As much as Numair used to be a flirt and a socialite at the palace, his real joy was his work, he's an academic. It's been obvious how he's felt about you for a long time, Daine. Do you know that you were the first woman he asked back here – when you were his student. Except Alanna and me, of course, he couldn't have gotten away with not asking us!"

"I had a feeling I was. I knew he'd never brought any of the ladies he'd courted here," Daine felt better, which was what Thayet had been aiming for. "What do you know about the man who lived here before?" She looked to Alanna; as Pirate's Swoop was close she would have the greater chance of having some information.

"Very little. He didn't live here long and no body really saw anything of him. Numair seemed to know him from before he moved into the Tower. He actually moved here not long after Numair was employed by Jonathan," Alanna explained as they moved into the room that she would be occupying for the duration of her stay.

Once Onua and Buri had settle into their rooms the five returned downstairs to the large kitchen where Thayet proceeded to unpack the bags that contained the equipment for their activities with Alanna peering over her shoulder.

"We need to organise who's doing what," Alanna began to boss. Thayet passed a look to Buri, who smothered a smile.

"You're not out on duty now, remember," Onua grinned. Alanna looked flustered. "Oh, don't be silly! We can be a bit more relaxed. I suggest we start with candle making, as that will take the longest, and we do need some candles for tomorrow."

Thayet smiled at Alanna's silence. Sometimes it did her good to be reminded that she wasn't in charge of her friends. It was rare that she became overly assertive with them and Thayet could tell from her silence that she felt guilty for trying to order them about. Thayet gently jabbed her in the ribs and provoked a smile from the Lioness.

They made the candles until mid afternoon, by which time they had created enough to possibly see them through another two cycles of the wheel. Most of them had been made in white, pink and yellow, the colours of the festival. They had also made two candle wheels, Thayet having brought evergreen including ivy to make the crown. Daine rushed around, putting a candle in each of the windows, intending to light them once dusk began to fall to welcome the rebirth of the sun.

Alanna and Onua made the corn dollies which represented the Great Mother Goddess in her maiden aspect. Kally, Alianne and Lianne would take the figures with them tomorrow to each house in the nearby village. People would then bestow gifts on the dolly, as offering to the Goddess. For the time being though, they placed the dolls around the walls to decorate the rooms. Although Thayet kept five on one side.

They prepared dinner together, using most of the milk that Daine had brought back from the farm. The name of the sabbat – Imbolc – actually referred to the cow's milk, so many of the dished they made were based on the dairy product. Daine almost laughed out loud when she saw Onua showing Thayet how to make bread from scratch, the queen looked so disarrayed with flour up the front of her apron and her face taut with concentration. Alanna had made a cake from a recipe that George had given her, and looked most proud of her results.

Daine had recalled what her mother had used to make at Imbolc, a very plain bread and butter pudding. It was a simple recipe and she could remember easily how to make it, having helped her ma many times before. At previous Imbolcs she had grown teary at the memory, but this year was different. She had seen her ma, and finally met her da. She had her own home and the beginning of a family. For the first time since the bandits had robbed her of everything she had had at the time she felt content, although she smiled as she realised that she missed Numair not being with her, even if he would have caused more trouble in the kitchen than he would have solved.

Buri had made a large pot of a spiced dish that she had learnt from one of the riders who had moved to Tortall from Carthak and had produced enough of it to serve a whole rider company for at least a week.

They expected the men and children to join them in the last afternoon, when they would celebrate Imbolc together. Before that they would perform one of the rituals together, that only women were meant to attend.

As the sun began to set, they lit each of the candles, intending to keep the small flame glowing through until the next evening. Some people would light bon fires, but Daine had put Thayet off this idea by suggesting that the smaller flame was more symbolic of the waxing sun. Alanna hung ribbons to each of the downstairs doors and some of the larger windows in the hope that the goddess would bless them, and Daine left small bowls of the bread and butter pudding inside the Tower of the faerie folk that were reported to accompany the maiden goddess.

They settled down by the glowing fire, lounging in the soft, comfortable chairs that Numair had recently purchased after Daine had complained about the hard wooden ones that were previously there.

Thayet sighed out of pure relaxation, her legs tucked under her, her long, black hair unleashed from its usual intricate style and hanging down her back.

"It's not often I get to do this," she sighed again. "Just sit down and not have to worry about how I look or what I'm saying. This is bliss."

Alanna laughed softly. "That's what happens when you're queen," she said, her red hair falling down past her chin, the longest that Daine had ever seen it.

"Hmmm, I know," Thayet murmured thoughtfully. "You're all alright. Buri has the sense to not get involved with a man, and the rest of you are with men who are so blinded by love that they wouldn't notice whether you had a great big boil on the side of your head the size of a small child! I have to at least try to look at my most pristine whenever I'm with Jonathan!"

"I'm sure if I did have a boil like that George would notice and waste no time at all in making fun of it," Alanna reassured.

"And Numair would want to examine it and check with his books," Daine added, knowing the truth in her words.

The four looked at Onua, who smiled smugly.

"Sarge is still totally besotted," Thayet said for her.

"I don't know why you're complaining," Alanna directed at the queen. "Jonathan was smitten by you the first time he saw you. He had flies buzzing round his mouth his jaw had dropped that far, and it's still the same now!"

Thayet smiled. "I suppose," she admitted, twisting a piece of hair around her finger. "I wonder what they are doing now, without any sensible people there." She referred to the men folk who were at Pirate's Swoop for the night.

"Sampling some of that awful concoction that George has made," Alanna said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "I hope that Numair had some of his hangover remedy available for the morning because they'll definitely need it!"

"Whatever has possessed us to leave them alone for the night?" Thayet gloomed. "They're bad enough when we're there. They are going to be incorrigible left alone. I'm glad Maud is taking charge of the children."

"Well, it'll serve them right if they have sore heads tomorrow," Alanna lay back in the chair, her eyes half closed with the heat from the fire. "We mustn't forget to leave a bowl of grain and milk outside for the goddess," she reminded them. "Don't leave it to me, I'll most probably forget."

Daine found her eyelids dropping as Alanna's were, tired with the long ride from Pirate's Swoop and the busy afternoon preparing for Imbolc. She stood up to place the food and drink for the goddess outside on the doorstep of the Tower and to make sure that the door was bolted securely, before leaving the other to continue dozing in front of the fire and retire to her own room.

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Daine woke as the sun did, automatically kicking her feet out to the other side of the bed, expecting to find Numair there, lying sprawled out as usual, making her glad that they had the largest bed she'd ever seen. The lack of his presence woke her properly, reminding her of why she was in a bed on her own and what the day was. She swiftly got out of the bed, pulling the covers up and tidying the sheets, knowing that she wouldn't have time later if she left it to air. She pulled on breeches and a shirt, and a warmer jumper over as the days were still chilly enough to warrant the extra layers and would be for some time, at least for another six weeks until the next festival of Ostara.

She went down the spiral staircase into the kitchen and began to boil the water to make hot drinks for everyone as they rose. Already she could hear Thayet and Onua stirring, brief comment being called to each other as they dressed in opposing rooms, although Onua's comments were far shorter than Thayet's, as she had an extreme dislike of mornings which Daine had found out after her first night of working for her.

After breakfast they would begin to prepare for the rites that would celebrate Imbolc. Daine noticed through the window of the kitchen that one of the oak tables had been moved outside to be used as an alter. Thankfully the night had been dry; else the table would have been useless until it had dried out.

Thayet was first to arrive downstairs, dressed in white breeches and a simple white shirt, her hair gathered up in braids around her head like a crown, as it had been when Daine had first met her.

"Is that bacon I can smell?" She inquired, sniffing like Tahoi. "I'm rather hungry." She moved over to the stove that Daine was using and began to add some eggs to the pan.

"Onua is on her way down. Alanna is still asleep, and even though we have been clanging about she's not woken," Thayet informed Daine. "Buri has just woken as well."

Daine nodded and began to ask Thayet some questions about the ritual they were about to perform, as she left Thayet to finish the cooking and collected in the bowls that had been left the night before for the maiden goddess and the faerie folk. Although the bowls were still full, it was believed that it was the essence of the food that had been taken, although the common sensical part of Daine's brain told her to leave the food on the old stone table outside for any wildlife that may fancy a snack.

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It was early afternoon by the time they were ready, the midday bell having just been chimed in the nearby village. Many of the candles that they had made had been blessed by Thayet or Alanna that morning, chanting the words that Daine had heard her mother use at this time of year since she was a small child.

The alter had been draped with a white sheet, one of the candle wheels with thirteen candles had been placed in the centre. Buri placed vanilla incense on either side of the alter, which would begin to give off a rather soothing scent once it was lit in the ceremony. A besom had been put in front of the table, a sign of sweeping out the old in preparation for the rebirth of the sun. Evergreen from the Midwinter decorations had been used to decorate the table, and it would later be burnt, symbolic of sending winter on its way. A chalice of snow that Daine had only just collected was next to the candle wheel and a dish of earth on the other. Five of the corn dolls, one for each person, were also present on the alter, as was a black scarf that Daine had managed to hunt out from Numair's draws as it was the one thing they had forgotten to pack, a bunch of freshly picked flowers and a white tapered candle. These final three items represented the three aspects of the Great Mother Goddess; the crone, the maiden and the mother. There was also a black ribbon, an item that Daine was unfamiliar with and she felt a little shy to ask what it would be used for.

The ceremony began with Thayet using white chalk to draw a circle around the alter. Alanna followed her, scattering salt over the chalk and chanting soft words, evoking the presence of the Goddess.

Standing at the alter, Thayet lit two of the white candles, the rest of them were silent as she spoke the words to match her actions;

"O fire Goddess of spring, I offer to thee, This symbol of fire, So Mote it be." She then lit the incense that Buri had organised. "O fire Goddess of Spring, I offer to thee, This symbol of Air, so Mote it be." Taking a pinch of the earth she walked slowly once more around the circle, letting it escape from her fingers, "O fire Goddess of Spring, I offer to thee, This symbol of Earth, So mote it be." Finally, she picked up the chalice of the snow which had now melted into water and began to return it to the ground, letting droplet of the water spill out onto the ground inside the circle, "O fire Goddess of Spring, I offer to thee, This symbol of Water, So Mote it be," she said in a soft voice, her expression serious. Onua had told Daine the previous morning that it was the first time that Thayet had led the rituals for Imbolc, as previously it had been done by the king's aunt when they had been at the palace or George's mother, Eleni.

Thayet came back to the alter and took the evergreen from it. She held a candle to the greenery and allowed it to catch fire. Once it had lit she dropped it to the ground, letting it burn into ash. "As this symbol of winter is consumed by the fire so is the darkness consumed by the light. So mote it be," she whispered, just loud enough so that the rest of them could hear.

She then returned to the table and handed each of them a corn doll that they had made yesterday from last year's harvested corn. Looking at Daine's face she smiled for the first time since the ceremony had begun. "Tell the doll all the negative thoughts and habits you have; they will then be burned away with winter," she explained.

The group fell silent for a moment while they passed those thoughts onto the dolls. Alanna then collected then in and tied them together with the black ribbon, placing them down on the floor in front of the alter and lighting them with another candle. They burned quickly, giving off little smoke. When they had been turned to ash Thayet rather nervously began to close the ceremony. These words Daine did recognise, her ma having ended each of the Imbolc rituals with them

"Praise and thanks to the Great Mother Goddess,

Maiden, Mother and Crone.

She is one, yet she is three,

Together and Alone.

Summer can come not without spring

Without summer comes no winter chill,

Without the Winter, spring can't be born

The Three, life's cycles, fulfil."

Thayet stood still for a while, looking around at the others in the group, a peaceful silence encompassing them. "Was that alright?" She asked, worriedly. Onua went to her, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"You did really well," she told her. "It was lovely to do that with a small group, instead of a huge one at the palace, and you remembered every detail."

Thayet smiled. "I've been really worried about it. I'm just glad I didn't trip up or set fire to anything!"

"I remember that happening one year to Maud when I was a kid," Alanna laughed. "It was raining so she did it indoors and set fire to one of the curtains. If father had come out of his study for long enough to notice I imagine he would have tried to ban any further Imbolc ceremonies!"

Thayet laughed. "I'm glad that didn't happen today. It was a nice change form having one at the palace. The Imbolc ceremony I've most enjoyed was the one led by George's mother," she nodded to Alanna.

"That's Eleni's focus in life," Alanna answered. "She's studied all the sabbats in detail. Her mother was a High Priestess and she has continued that tradition. While she's at the palace you should ask her to talk you through some more of the ceremonies – she knows different variations. She would love to impart her knowledge on someone."

Thayet laughed as they walked back into the kitchen, about to indulge in some of the traditional food before the men arrived with the children. They would, or should have, performed their own celebrations that morning.

The day wore on, and mid afternoon had arrived before Thayet realised that the men and children had not yet turned up. She looked around the group, who were all now engaged in discussing either battle strategies or palace gossip.

"I'm not keen on how long it's taking them to get here," she announced in her clear voice. "I suggest that we head of and see if we meet them half way. They should have set off at midday or sooner and should have been here well before now."

"Wouldn't Numair have sent a message if there was a problem?" Alanna asked.

Daine shook her head. "Thayet has a point. I've been clock watching for the past hour and a half, wondering when they were going to show up. If they were occupied with any trouble, then Numair may not have been able to get a message to us."

"I think we should head to the Swoop," Onua agreed.

Daine quickly scampered around the Tower, blowing out the candles and making sure that everything was safe, leaving Onua to ready Cloud for the trip. No one had packed anything, they needed to travel light to get there as quickly as possible, and Alanna was now chomping at the bit to get back to her house in case something had happened so there was no way she would have let anyone have any time to pack.

They set off at speed, wondering what they were going to find.

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**Btw, I have a oneshot up called 'Watching'. Thank you to all those people who have r&r'd it. If you haven't, please go and have a look if you have the time. Thank you!**


	8. Imbolc Part II

**Fayrey: **Where are you studying? I did my Literature degree at Sheffield Uni in England. Thank you for your comments, they are very helpful. I'm probably no supposed to like fluff either, but I like it so much I write it! **Narm's Briton: **I've been too busy writing this to read. I have just bought Trudi Canavan's latest, so shall see what that's like. **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you. I enjoyed writing that chapter. **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you, your compliment meant a lot. **Dolphin Dreamer: **Fanfic used to do that to me so much. Now I copy stuff before I press the send key, just in case. Thank you for what you said, it made my feel warm and fuzzy! I enjoyed writing that chapter, possibly the most so far. **JadeViper08: **I hope you got the timeline. I use it quite a lot, although I still get things wrong! Thank you for your review and your PM – good to know you liked it! **Silverlake: **Girls' nights are needed sometimes, even by mediaeval women! Boys' night coming up! **Lady Tonks of Wolf's Rock: **Thank you, I hope my writing skills are improving. There will be a bit more drama in Imbolc, but I'm intending a quiet Ostara. **Goldeneyedwildmage: **You are so on the right lines. You'll find out who in part III! **Bitterosemary: **I've got quite into writing these short stories now. It's giving me lots of practise at story structure and seriously doing some damage to my creative thinking. It's going to end up being eight stories in four weeks, with full plot, characterisation etc and I'm drained already. I know what I'm doing through to Midsummer, or there abouts, and an idea for a last long story hit me this afternoon, although I'm not sure when to set it. (Pre, post or very post RotG.) **Sonnet Lacewing: **Thank you. The day I feel impressed with myself will be the day that I give up, though. I'm a perfectionist, like someone else reading this! And it can never be too good.

**A/N: Again, got the idea for the ritual from the net, will forward the link if anyone wants it. It was quite hard to find the men's one, so I hope its okay. **

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to TP as usual, except the ones I've made up, and they belong to the elf who plays in my head. Seriously. **

**Imbolc Part II**

Chapter 2 – It's a Man's World

Numair Salmalin watched with some regret as Daine rode away towards the Tower, the morning sunlight catching her smoky brown curls and making it shine. It was tradition, he knew, for the women to perform certain rituals without the men present, Imbolc being a festival that was very much focused on females, rather than males, celebrating the goddess as being the maiden, before she conceived a child at Ostara. He would be without her tonight, a rare occurrence since the previous summer when the immortals' war had finished, and he wasn't relishing the notion of being in bed on his own having become used to her presence. Still, he could not give that fact away to George or Sarge, who would no doubt ridicule him if they knew.

He wandered back into Pirate's Swoop, where the other men were sitting in the large lounge, feasting on a breakfast that would most likely fill them until supper time, Maud had cooked that much. George passed him a plateful, although Numair found that he did not have his usual appetite.

"Eat up, lad," George told him quietly. "Ye'll see her tomorrow. It's not like she's Alanna, ye know, going off not knowing when she'll be back."

Numair smiled a little forlornly at the older man. He sometimes forgot how good George was at reading people, which was what made him so indispensable at his job as the king's assistant spymaster. "I know," he forced a cheerier smile onto his face. "And there is something to be said for a night away once in a while."

George grinned. "But the key is to not let them know that," he kept his voice low as Alanna was approaching.

"What was that, Laddybuck?" His wife asked, her eyes blazing with humour. "Are you telling Numair how much you'll miss me tonight?"

George gave his wife his most flirtatious smile. "Of course. I was describing how my heart would be pining for ye so much I would not be able to sleep."

Alanna looked at him disbelievingly. "Your heart will be too soaked in that dreadful ale you've been brewing to do any pining!"

George laughed. "Aha, my lady, but each sip will be drunk in your honour, as I recall memories of your sweet lips…" Alanna batted him over the head with a nearby cushion. "Fine!" George held his hands up in surrender. "I won't miss ye or think of ye at all!" This earned him another wallop from the cushion, before he caught hold of it and placed it back on the chair.

The four women left Pirate's Swoop an hour after Daine, taking what seemed enough clothing to last them for a week rather than two nights. Numair watched as they left, Jonathan, George and Sarge assisting in making sure that Mangle was loaded well with the luggage and that Alanna had the bags that Daine had asked her to bring. When they had eventually left, the four men sat down in the large sitting room that was well heated by the roaring fire in the hearth. A peaceful atmosphere encompassed them and George handed out glasses of ale to each of them.

"To the maiden Goddess!" He toasted, lifting his glass. The others repeated the toast, before Jonathan added, "And a peaceful evening." Causing laughter to fill the room.

Jonathan had brought one of the cooks from the kitchen with them, a tall man who had just been employed by the palace, and he chose now to show off his skills, bring an array of delicacies into the room and placing them down on the table. All were foods of the festival, including poppyseed cakes that Numair adored, being one of the few things that his mother had baked.

"That was mighty good timing!" George called to the chef as he brought another platter of food in. "Wait until the second the women have departed and then bring out this. A man after my own heart!"

Ersaid smiled, he was a man of few words, and returned to the kitchens.

The day seemed to go by quickly; after eating they gathered the children, Kally being the eldest, as both Thom and Roald were engaged in their studies at the palace and had not been given leave to celebrate the holiday with their families, they took a walk out to the sea, Numair hunting for any unusual stones that had been washed up by the sea. It was an activity that was tied to Imbolc, to go hunting for stones to be used in the coming year.

By evening, once the children had settled down in the old nursery, looked after by Maud, the men were quite tired, draping themselves over the cushioned chairs in the main sitting room once more. Ersaid had continued to bring food out throughout the day, and even Numair had developed something of a stomach that was more that it's usual flat state. Thankfully Daine wasn't there to poke at it.

George began to hand out more tankards of beer, happy in the knowledge that Alanna would not be there to scold him about being too merry if he drank a fair bit of it. He was aware that his home contained a few people that Tortall's enemies would like to attack in some way, but was comfortable in the knowledge that he had enough security around the place to protect the king and his children should any one tried anything.

The evening was spent around the large banqueting table in the hall only used for occasions such as these. Ersaid produced a magnificent meal, filled with succulent joints of meat coated in sauces that George was certain he'd never tried before. Plenty of his ale was consumed, going well with the conversation about jousting bouts and duelling. The talked remained on manly themes until they set on the second barrel of ale, when Sarge, who was obviously missing Onua and desperately trying to hide it as discreetly as he could after seven tankards, asked Numair if he could open up a speech spell so he could talk to the horse mistress.

Jonathan laughed as he overheard Sarge, drawing George's attention to the huge man who was taking up most of the large chair nearest the fire. "Is this the first time you and Onua have spent the night apart since you got together?" The king asked, curious. Onua and Sarge were both private people and not much was known about their relationship.

"It is," Sarge replied in his deep voice. "It seems strange without her."

Jon smiled and took another gulp of his ale. "I felt like that with Thayet for a while."

George looked serious. "It's like that when Alanna goes away, especially when I don't know how long she'll be. But it's a fact of life. If ye were together all the time you'd be bored of each other's company after a year, or less. She'll be glad ta see you tomorrow."

Sarge gave his deep laugh. "Oh, I'm sure she will, who wouldn't?" He jested, pouring himself dome more from the barrel.

Numair sat thoughtfully on his chair. "I could open up a speech spell to her, if you really wanted," he offered, "But I'd hear everything you said."

Sarge shook his head. "Thank you. I should leave it. It is only a night and it won't kill us to not speak to each other for a while. Are you not going to check with Daine if everything's alright?"

Numair shook his head. "If I was to, she'd feel that I didn't trust her in the Tower. She still hasn't properly accepted that it's her home too. I need to give her some time there on her own so she can adjust the place to her liking."

George nodded his approval. "It's the first home that's truly hers. I know she had her room in the palace from when she first came, but that's not the same as having somewhere away from where ye work as well."

The conversation continued until the clock began to chime midnight, by which time Jonathan had drank himself into oblivion and fallen asleep on the chair. It had been far from the raucous affair that the woman had predicted, although they had gotten through enough of George's ale, a smoked beer known as wobblybock, a name that was rather difficult to pronounce after a few glasses of it.

Numair retired to bed, lighting some of the candles that Maud had placed in the windows as he went upstairs. He had noticed her putting the bowls of grain and milk out for the Great Mother and smiled at her remembrance. Numair enjoyed this festival, although he felt separated from it sometimes as much of it was carried out by the women. Still, though, he knew that Daine would enjoy it and that was the main thing.

He changed into a nightshirt, feeling quite strange when he got into bed. He was used to not wearing anything in bed, but it seemed strange to do that if Daine wasn't there with him, and he knew he would be cold without her being there. He drifted into sleep, his thoughts filled with visions of his love, keeping him company as he waited for the morrow when he would see her again.

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Numair was woken by the smell of Ersaid cooking breakfast. His room was directly above the kitchens and he realised that Daine must have left the window open a crook as the aroma drifted in, pleasantly making him think of wonderful food. He got up drowsily, not sure if it was George's ale of the quantity of food he had eaten the day before that was making him eel so sluggish. Dressing quickly with the intentions to have a bath after breakfast, he went downstairs, armed with a bottle of his hangover cure, which he was sure that Jonathan at least would require.

George was already down there, bright and breezy as usual and tucking into the plate of food the chef had handed him. He merely nodded to Numair rather than interrupt his chewing, although once Numair saw the plate of food that had been made for him, he realised that he wouldn't be speaking for a while afterwards either.

They had prepared the large corn doll two days earlier, the children helping Daine and Thayet to weave it. Now the doll had been placed outside that morning in preparation for the short ritual that the men would carry out in honour of Imbolc and the coming of spring. The doll was there for them to whisper any negative thoughts to, once the ceremony began it would be burnt, along with those thoughts and the remains of winter. After the fire was lit, another ceremony would be performed, a very old, traditional one that Numair remembered seeing his father take part in years earlier, when Numair was just a boy and drink had not yet over taken the man.

He saw Sarge outside going up to the large effigy and look solemnly at it. He knew that Sarge took the sabbats seriously and gave a great deal of importance to them. His knowledge of them was on a par with Thayet's, who was doing her best to study the old ways faithfully.

Alanna's father, Myles of Olau had arrived shortly before Numair had awaked in order to lead the proceedings. His wife Eleni was with him, having been with some of her family the evening before and leading a ceremony there. Now she would take charge of the rest of the proceedings at Pirate's Swoop before moving with them over to the Tower in the afternoon. Numair greeted Myles happily, having great respect for the man who had acted as the role of father to the Lioness for many years and had proved to be a great asset to the court in his role of Spymaster. George greeted him joyfully, letting the older man embrace him, before hugging his mother. His two children rushed around them, also pleased to see their relatives, associating their grandparents with the fun things that their parents were reluctant to let them do, like paint on the kitchen table, or stay up late and tell stories.

By mid-morning all were up and about, although Jonathan had sipped a fair amount of Numair's hangover tonic before he looked as if he would be capable of doing anything other than standing up. Myles had organised them in to what they were going to be doing, reminding George of the ritual, which he appeared to have forgotten. By this time, each of them, including any of the men who were working at Pirate's Swoop had told the doll their deeds.

Myles led them out side, the day was cold but clear, although there were thick, grey clouds to the north west of them that were telling tales of snow that afternoon. He lit the doll, creating a small bon fire that licked at the corn and wheat, cultivating large tongues of flames, burning away any negativity and any shreds of winter.

They stood around the fire in height order; Sarge the tallest of the men stood at the northern most point of the fire, with Numair next to him in a clockwise direction. Myles stood on the other side of Sarge in the last position. Myles passed a wand of corn husks to Sarge, who proceeded to remove one of the husks and threw it into the fire, a look of concentration on his face as he tried to give his own energy to the wand that was wrapped beneath the husks. He then passed it on to Numair, who performed the same rite; and so on it went around the circle. After Sarge had passed the wand he moved around the fire so that he was at the most southern point, Numair followed him, standing behind him, and the next person in height did the same once they had thrown the husk into the blaze.

They made a chain, facing inwards, so that Numair was almost facing Sarge, someone else who was next to Sarge was almost facing him, and linked hands. Myles then walked to the end of the double line and paused while the other men began to softly chant, "Winter remain, winter remain!" Myles, taking the role of the sun god, began to break through the path of hands toward the fire. As each man's hands were broken apart, their chant changed to that of "Spring return." When Myles had reached the fire, the other men began to follow him in line towards Pirate's Swoop where he then knocked on the door, which Eleni opened, allowing them in to honour the maiden goddess.

Myles took the now husk-less wand to the basket that had been padded with white silk, with a corn doll lay on top, and placed it in it. Him and Eleni quietly said the remainder of the words that were meant to awaken the maiden goddess form her winter slumber and bring the spring back to the earth.

Once the ceremony had finished food was handed out, again deliciously prepared and mainly dairy based, thus celebrating the lactating cows and sheep that were a symbol of Imbolc. Pirate's Swoop seemed very calm and still, having none of the rush and pace of the palace. Numair had just settled down at a table, watching Eleni pack some items to take over to the Tower where their festivities would continue when he heard a sudden noise coming from the kitchens. Standing up he headed towards it, wondering if Ersaid had dropped the pans or something of that nature.

He entered the kitchens, puzzled as to why no one was about. Staying as silent as he could, he edged further in, his suspicions growing. He glanced a familiar face and speedily and quietly edged out of the kitchen, heading for George who was engaged in conversation with Alianne and Lianne about eating too much chocolate.

George automatically spotted the look of concern on Numair's face and silenced the small girls with a look.

"What is it?" He asked, keeping his voice low.

"We have an old friend back," Numair told him, maintaining the quiet tones. "I've spotted three of Lord Synthia's pet mages in the kitchens."

George's expression was a looked of stunned amazement, followed by an epiphany. "The cook, Ersaid… I thought his skills were a little familiar."

"He's Synthia's old chef," Numair completed. "I'm surprised he's not tried to poison us."

"He's more sense than that. We need to get the kids out with Maud and Ma," George said. "We should have left an hour and a half ago to get to your place. I'll have a quick word with Ma and she'll get them on their way. You let Jon and Sarge know. I warned Jon that he needed to let me vet his new employees!"

Numair moved swiftly, his years spent as a player mage coming into use as he began to speak to each of the men left in the building, discreetly letting them know that someone was obviously planning on taking them by surprise.

He saw the children ride off, accompanied by Eleni and Maud, and felt thankful that they were on there way. For a moment he considered the possibility of sending a message to Alanna about the situation, but knew that the mages that Synthia had employed were gifted enough to be able to pick up on the use of his gift and possibly intercept the message and therefore become informed that their presence was known. He contented himself by prudently checking their gifts, masking his own so they wouldn't become aware of him. He could have tried to mask the speech spell, but that would have been difficult and any slip of concentration would have alerted them to what he was doing.

George whispered to him to move outside. "We have my men stationed out there also. I would quite like it if my house was still standing at the end too, otherwise Alanna will never allow me to have another occasion like this when she is not present, and if you get involved in a mage fight, then the curtains would be gone for sure!"

Numair smiled, appreciating George's humour in the situation. "Any idea why they're here?"

George shrugged. "Attack on Jonathan most likely, or on Alanna's home and family. Synthia was more that peeved that she caught him. She'll be annoyed that she's missing this."

"I'm not sure that Synthia's actually here," Numair shared. "I think it's just the mages, although I suspect there will be some other men out in the forest."

George nodded his agreement. "I have men too, remember, we certainly won't be caught short."

Numair waited for George to move over toward Jonathan and slipped back into the building, intending to find the mages and hopefully hinder them or at least find out more about them before they attempted to attack. He imagined that they wanted to take a holding over Pirate's Swoop, and then bargain with the king to grant Synthia his lands back. Numair knew that this wasn't going to happen.

In the distance he heard the village bell toil three past noon, and realised that Daine would be wondering where they were. He heard a quiet noise coming from the room above him and began to head up toward it, knowing that no one should be up there.

Walking into what was Alianne's bedroom he saw the back of a tall, well built man with longish hair like his own. The stranger turned around to face him, his hand pointed out with a curse on his lips ready to fly at Numair.

Numair merely said two short words and the man stood as still as stone and would continue to do so for at least the next two hours, until the coclicleum spell wore off. He knew that the other two mages would be aware that he had discovered their presence and would probably seek to find him. Shutting off his other senses he focused on their whereabouts, discovering one still in the kitchens and another outside, lurking in a bush not three strides away from Jonathan.

Knowing that the king could take care of himself against a mage that was not exceptionally gifted or well trained, and also had the skills of a fairly decent knight, he proceeded to head for the man in the kitchen. Creeping down the flight of stairs that led closest to that area he could hear the man chanting an incantation to block anyone else from entering. Obviously he had been too involved in his mischief to have noticed Numair's gift being used.

Numair did not particularly agree with attacking someone while they were unaware, so he coughed politely, startling the man who turned round and face the black robe mage with a look of shock on his face that quickly phased into an unpleasant grin.

"I was hoping you would be here," the man grinned. "Lord Synthia said you would be a good one to injure." The man let a ray of mustard yellow gift stem from his hand. Numair blocked it easily, feeling slight pain as the shot of magic hit is skin, stinging like a nettle.

He diverted the magic back, and, holding that spell, drummed up another, that sewed the mage up into a soft, malleable substance that was impossible to break out without the assistance of the mage who had created it. To be extra nice, Numair had made sure that the yellow gift was encased, so its prisoner was now dancing about the room as he was continuously stung by his own spell. Numair left him to it, hearing shout from outside that were suggesting that Synthia's men had attacked.

He ran out of the building, whispering a spell as he did to make sure that the second mage's incantation hadn't taken hold. He could see George in battle with two men, having disarmed them both and now using their weapons against them. George's face wore quite a broad smile, and Numair suspected that the ex-King of the Rogue was in fact enjoying himself.

There were fewer people than he thought there would have been, whether or not George's army of men that he employed for such situations like this had seen them off, he didn't know, but the enemy who were outside with them were low in number, which was only to their advantage.

He heard Sarge's fist make contact with Ersaid's face and saw the chef fall to the ground like a felled tree, knocked unconscious by the blow. Sarge sent him a grin, calling out words that Numair couldn't hear over all the rabble.

"There's one more mage!" Sarge repeated in his large bellow that he used to frighten trainees with. "He went down there!" He pointed to the path that led into the forest around the other side of Pirate's Swoop from the sea.

Numair wondered if he should chase after the mage, or stay and help. He quickly figures that it would be more profitable to take down the final mage; the one he knew had fed him drugs while he had been captured by Lord Synthia. The other two mages had been knew to him, but the one trying to escape had been the one he'd recognised in the kitchens earlier.

He went after him; his long legs that had made him feel so gangly as a teenager now aiding him in swiftly catching up with his target.

Although he knew that this man had no where near the power or Inar Hadensra or Tristan Staghorn, he still felt wary of him. He had the psychological advantage of having harmed Numair before, and Numair knew he would consider him an easy victory.

The older mage stopped and turned round once he realised he was being followed, laughing when he saw Numair.

"What do you think you're going to do?" He lifted up his hand and through his gift, strangling Numair so he felt he had a noose around his neck. Numair drew from his magic and fought the spell off.

"You got lucky last time," he said threateningly, blasting back with a jet of his blacj gift, knocking the man over onto his back.

The man stood up. "Do you remember my name?" He asked Numair.

"Zerik Trenden," Numair replied, not sure why that was so important when they were about to attempt to kill each other. "Why?" Numair dodge a blast from Zerik, letting it hit an elm and setting fire to it.

"Because you're so arrogant I doubted you'd remember," Zerik taunted. Numair knew he was trying the oldest trick in the book by trying to make him angry and burn up all his energy by making one giant and badly thought out attempt at turning him to a cinder, and therefore becoming and therefore making it very easy for him to be slain. He threw a few more gentle curses and spells at the other mage, ones he knew that Alanna's Thom could deflect in his sleep, but instead of sending them slowly, he sent them as rapidly as he could manage without straining himself.

Zarik began to get irritated. He couldn't send anything back as he was too busy attempting to deflect the irksome spells that Numair was attacking him with. Gradually he began to let his defences drop in order to send something back at Numair. The small spells began to take effect; Zarik began to lose feeling in his foot, he was unable to clasp his hand and he felt his throat burn dry. Numair saw that he was becoming more and more exasperated. He lamely threw a fire spell at the tall mage, but missed, directing it straight into a pool of water. Numair sent s few more spells that he had used as tricks while at school. Zerik's eyes began to roll into the back of his head and his tongue became so large that it had to hang outside of his mouth.

Numair paused at the sight. It was not funny or amusing and he felt a little ashamed. Covering him in the same malleable coating he had used on the mage in the kitchen he released all the other spells, checking that the mage had not suffered any long term damage, and then sent a paralysing curse, that would temporarily knock Zarik out, until one of George's men could return and take him down into the cells.

Feeling slightly guilty, as if he had misused his powers Numair headed back to the courtyard where he had left the rest of his friends. In the distance he saw Daine and Thayet racing towards them on their mounts. Starting to run he sped to the scene to see Lord Synthia and several more men attacking. Sarge seemed to be taking on a group of five, two of the horses joining in by using their hooves to aid Sarge in any way they could. George, whose face showed signs of having met a knife in a bad way, was dealing with a large, stock built man who was also armed with a pair of knives, although Numair had no doubt that George carried more weapons than that on him in his sleep. Jonathan had pulled out his sword and was now engaged in combat with Synthia and Numair became alarmed. Jon was good with a sword; he had trained as knight after all, and hadn't been spared any of the rigour of it simply because he was king.

He debated what to do as he saw the women draw up closer and Buri dismount and join in with Sarge. Onua had drawn her bow and was aiming it at a group of twelve men who were now approaching from the forest where Numair had come from. He realised that if they got any closer they would be severely short of men. Using a word of power, he created a hole in the ground to open and take them into it. It wasn't a word like he had used on Tristan Staghorn; this one was repairable and would merely keep them contained until they were ready to fish them out later. He grinned at Daine who was close enough now to see his expression. She was firing away into the distance where Numair saw a group of stormwings flying over to meet them and he doubted that they had been friends with Rikash Moonsword, given the obscenities that were oozing form their mouths. Onua was aiming with her and Numair sent a little something to their arrows that would certainly shorten the life of any targets that they hit. He could feel his energy ebbing from him; the barrage of spells he had aimed at Zerik had tired him and he knew he couldn't face another battle.

He focused in on Jonathan and Synthia. Neither had given any and he could see the sweat gleaming on both their brows. Jonathan still duelled regularly with Alanna and Raoul when he was around, and evidence of that was showing and he appeared to have the upper hand over Synthia, who was obviously not used to dealing with people of a high calibre. His attention was briefly caught by Sarge who yelled a war cry as he banged the heads together of two of the men he had been tangling with, thus having knocked unconscious all of them, with the help of Buri.

His celebration was short lived, as a spilt second later a blood curdling cry from Thayet echoed through the air, silencing all. Numair looked towards her and saw the woman remove her sword from the back of a man who had been about to stab her husband. Numair took the opportunity to throw once last spell at Synthia, numbing him and resulting in him falling as if he were made of stone. Jonathan looked socked and deathly white, while Thayet merely stood there, a look on her face that combined disgust with victory, reminding everyone of her heritage and making them thankful that Jonathan had married a woman who had more to her that looks and pretty dresses, and took the vow to defend her lord and country to the letter.

Daine strode over to him, the stormwings that had survived her and Onua's onslaught of arrows and other birds having fled the area as soon as Synthia had been frozen. She put her hand into his and squeezed in hard. "Why can't we have normal, unexciting festivals like most people?" She asked, as George's guards escorted a new collection of prisoners into their cells.

"Because we're not ordinary people, I suppose," he smiled at her, noticing Thayet and Jonathan wrapping their arms around each other out of the corner of his eye.

"Which reminds me," Daine began, her heart still beating rapidly in her chest as she tried to take her mind off what had just occurred. "You have some explaining to do."

Numair looked puzzled. "I'm not entirely sure what you mean," he answered, a little worried about what they may have been talking about the previous night.

"Who exactly was the man who lived in the Tower before you, and how were you related to him?" She asked, averting her eyes as the body of the man Thayet had killed was carried past her.

"That might be a long story," Numair answered, before entering Pirate's Swoop.

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_Now hit that little button,make me a happy bunny and review! Tell me what you think, give me your opinion, have your say... I'm wittering aren't I. Well, if you think I witter, you won't want the next part, will you..._


	9. Imbolc Part III

**Neal's Chick: **Indeed! Thank you for reviewing! **Daine's Twin: **Hope this is soon enough! **Celuna Cirrus: **Sometimes I feel dory for Jon. I had a feeling I'd done that to Zerek. I have a child in my class called Zakir and I actually wrote his name a few times! **Bitterosemary: **I'll be a happy bunny when I've finished this sequence. Not even half way through it yet and I already know what the next story will be about. Dying to start it, particularly as the next chapter of this sets it all up. **Fayrey: **I had a look at that today while I was having my roots done. Action scenes are something I never thought I'd write until Interlude and they are not something I envisage focusing on in the near future, although I do have an idea for a fantasy trilogy that would require them, but they won't be what I "give birth" to first. What texts are you studying? Also, are you familiar with Trudi Canavan, seeing as she's an Ozzie fantasy writer? **Aravilui: **Thank you! I considered that with a female. I'm also going to have a nasty female mage turn up at some point – next story maybe. Some women are nasty and they don't get portrayed enough! **Dolphin Dreamer: **I am typo queen! Crown me now! Did you get the email? If you didn't PM me and I'll resend it. Thank you for the review as always! **Daine's Daughter: **that bit is up next! **NB44: **Thank you. I am kind of enjoying it, its certainly good practise and I am learning a lot as I research. I'm currently writing around 5000 words per day, hence typo city. Keep reviewing! **Lime 63: **More fluff on its way, particularly in the chapter after this. **Silverlake: **I wondered that when I wrote it, but can you imagine not having chocolate? They gotta have chocolate! **Goldeneyedwildmage: **witter means go on with yourself, something I have a talent for! There are eight festivals in total, Mabon (Harvest/Thanksgiving), Samhain (Hallowe'en), Midwinter/Yule, Imbolc, Ostara (Easter), Beltane (Mayday), Midsummer and Lughnasadh. Each will have three chapters, although the chapter after this is a standalone… (fit of inspiration?) **Sonnet Lacewing: **It's funny to think that when I start writing my own book, it'll be led by very much one character. I think I will find that hard at first after dealing with so many in this. Having said that, the follow up to this will be very DN based and I think I will try and make it a little more adult – not in the M rating sense – but in the way they deal.

**Disclaimer: See previous page for this. It still applies. **

**Imbolc Part III **

Chapter 3 – Women

Daine could hear Alanna cursing George from the moment she stepped through the heavy door into the Baron's house. Alanna's tone was unmistakable, speaking rapidly and at full volume, she clearly wasn't happy.

"One night, one night we leave you men for and look what happens! Jon has some traitor chef in who helps to set you all up and put you on a plate for Synthia! If I was here it would never have happened…"

"But it's all well, lass. No one was injured…" George interrupted bravely.

"Injured? Look at your face!" Daine heard her tone soften as she focused on George's injuries.

"Well I was never that pretty to start off with," George responded, amusement in his voice. Alanna was then quiet, and Daine figured that she had buried herself in the arms of her husband, the one place she always went for solace.

She and Numair headed to one of the smaller sitting rooms which were padded out with comfy cushions and padded chairs. She sank down in his arms on one of the larger seats, feeling his heart still beating rapidly in his chest.

"Do you not need to fish in the mages?" She asked him, having briefly heard his story of what he had been up to while she and the other women were galloping over from the Tower.

Numair shook his head. "There's a group of the Own, headed by Raoul, on their way. They'll take Synthia and the mages back to Corus and hopefully see that Synthia is dealt with properly this time."

"Don't you have to release them from your spell?" She inquired, hoping that she wasn't keeping him away from what he should be doing.

"No, I can do it from a distance and it will make it easier to transport them," Numair sighed, taking hold of one of her curls that had come lose form the clips she had put it up in that morning and twisted it round his fingers, admiring the smoky grey colour that made his heart sing every time he thought about it. "You wanted to ask me some questions." He was not looking forward to this interrogation. For Numair Salmalin the past stayed resolutely in the past, but Daine was his future and she had a right to know of certain things.

"Who was the man who lived in the Tower before you?" She asked, gently tugging on his horse tail, her eyes intently meeting his. "Brielyn told me that you helped him a lot."

Numair sighed, taking her other hand and kissing it gently. "You were right. I was related to him. He was my father," Numair announced. "No one knows this story, Daine, it's not really a pleasant one and it's no longer relevant. But you have a right to know."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry – I was being nosy. If you don't want to tell me thn you shouldn't."

Numair smiled, remembering one of the hundreds of reasons he had fallen in love with her in the first place. "I do want to tell you," he assured her and brushed her forehead with a kiss.

"Once I became known to the king and was assured of my safety I let my parents know where I was and that I was alive. I briefly returned to Tyra to see them, having not done so for more that ten years, and my mother, at least, was anxious to see with her own eyes that I was well and unharmed after all that they had heard of from Carthak.

"I stayed for three days; after the first two hours spent in the house I saw that my mother was suffering greatly with having to live with my father. I have told you before that his days were filled with drink, and she was left to run the business and make ends meet, which she managed very well most of the time. Now they were both old – they had me late on in their lives, I was a great surprise when I came along – and she could no longer work, passing most of the business to the child of a friend who had gone into the same business and doing occasional work from him when she was well enough.

"One the first night of my visit I saw my father being violent towards her, something I hadn't known he'd done before. Obviously I was shocked and upset, and rushed in to defend her, which ended in a fight between me and him, a physical fight I might add, I would never have used magic on him.

"He stormed out and ended up being taken in by the guards for the night, whom he was well known to. The following day I went to collect him from the gaol. No son should ever see his father like that, his drinking resulted in the most awful depression, he begged me for forgiveness and ended up on his knees in the middle of the street, with a good number of people looking on.

"By the time I got home with him following on behind me like a lost dog, my mother was cowering in a corner, worried how I'd react to their situation. It was clear that their marriage was over, and had been for sometime, probably since before I'd gone to the university.

"That evening, when he'd passed out peacefully this time, she asked me to take him back with me to Tortall, and find a life for him there. The years of drinking had taken their toll and he was obviously not well, and refused to go to a healer, knowing he'd be told to give up the drink. I asked her why she didn't want to come back with me, but she just shook her head, rather mysteriously and said that she had a life here, while he did not, and that I was the only person he'd listen to.

"It surprised me, to find out how much he'd boasted about me to the people who he'd drank with and their neighbours. I had never known before that he was proud of me and it softened me to his cause. From what I'd gathered, my mother had a friend that she didn't want to leave behind, hence her reluctance to leave Tyra. Since he has died, I found out that she had met someone else, whom she now shares a great deal of her time with. He has given her all that my father couldn't.

"After the third day I left, my father in tow with the promise to abstain from drinking until we had reached Tortall, as I knew I would be unable physically to lift him if he was inebriated and the boarder guards wouldn't let us through.

"The five days it took us to return were the strangest of my life, including the time when I escaped from Carthak. Many of the mysteries of my childhood were explained in those few days and it would take me the same length of time again to recite them to you now. By the time reached the outskirts of Pirate's Swoop, where I was intending to bring my father until I had found a home for him, I had realised that I could not burden any of my new friends with the ghost of a man that was with me.

"We ended staying at an inn an hour's ride from the Tower, which I found was vacant and had been for some time. I made some enquiries and purchased the Tower for my father to reside him. It was far too big for one person, having been built by a mage with a huge family – three wives and twenty five children the local lore has it – some four hundred years ago, but he needed space. Years of being spent in a cramped up house and small narrow streets had made him claustrophobic, which was part of what had led him to drink.

"I had virtually no money left from what I had saved once I had bought it, but my father was content and that had become the priority. His drinking had stabilised, although this seemed to have had an averse affect on his mind. He would have conversations with people who weren't there, call for his mother and sometimes not recognise who I was.

"I returned to the Tower when ever I could over the next three years, and that's how Brielyn came to know of me as I bought milk for him there and fresh meat. I left her money so she would take fresh food to him, as he had become infirm and unable to go out on his own.

"He died after living there for three and a half years. I was with him as I had known it was near the end of his life. I had wanted to bring a healer in, but in his brief moments of lucidity he had forbidden it, saying he knew when it was time to go.

"His death was peaceful, far more peaceful that his life had been. Once he has passed I arranged for him to be buried nearby and had a brief ceremony where several people from the nearby village came, including Brielyn, although my mother stayed in Tyra.

"I cannot blame her for that, he made her life a living nightmare as it was the only way he could find to deal with his demons. I repurchased the house in my own name and set the proceeds from his estate to her, small compensation for what she had had to put up with and she wouldn't take money directly from me.

"She told me shortly after he died that I had given her her freedom back. She was able to live again now that he wasn't there, and enjoy what was left of her time. She felt no guilt about not attending his committal and I understood why completely. His guilt was passed onto me, that I did not act sooner and save them both from misery.

"Each Samhain I throw a piece of paper into the fire asking to be helped to forgive my father and each Imbolc I whisper to the corn doll to help me leave the past behind and to stave off the guilt that is left behind form his life. Each year it gets a little easier, but I know that I will always carry a piece of my past around at the back of my mind. It's what makes me who I am."

Daine sat in his arms, letting the silence punctuate his final sentence. Her eyes had filled with tears that she was trying not to shed. Numair's face wore a distant expression; she could tell that it obviously pained him to talk about the past. She rested her head on his shoulder and he automatically brought his hand up to her hair, taking comfort from her presence and calm.

"How is your mother now?" She asked him gently.

Numair smiled softly. "She's better than she ever was. She has a man-friend who lives near her and has done for years. They eat together, share the same interests; he looks after her and she looks after him. She met him a while before I came to see them, about four years before I think, but kept him at arms length because of the seriousness of how she thought of her handfasting vows."

"You haven't been to see her for as long as I've known you. Why?" Daine asked, nuzzling the side of his face with her own, inhaling the scent of the creams he had used after shaving that morning.

"Because I remind her of my father. I look like him a lot and my voice sounds identical to his. They weren't an arranged marriage, they fell in love, and I think he was immensely happy with her and their life together for a few years. The his father moved in with them and my father regressed emotionally and turned to drink to wash away his past. When I suggest going to see her, she always has an excuse for me not to go," he said, sadness lilting in his voice.

"Maybe she does feel guilty," Daine offered, wanting to try and ease his pain. "She has a new love. Maybe she feels bad because of that and if you see her with him she might think that you feel that she is being disloyal to her husband."

"Maybe so, Magelet. I hadn't considered that before. I would like to see her again. She's quite old now and I don't know how many more chances there will be before she is called to the peaceful realms," he sighed, holding her close.

"Would she like to meet me?" Daine asked. "It would be an excuse to suggest going to see her."

Numair laughed. "It would. I have written to her about you and she was very interested and asked lots of questions. She did say that she would like to see you for herself, so maybe that was a hint. I will write again and suggest it."

Daine nodded, looking intently into his eyes. There was one more question. "Why did you keep the Tower after it held so many memories about your father?"

Numair laughed wryly. "I fell in love with the Tower and its history from the day I saw it. It was also the place where my father was at his happiest, so that does mean something to me. Any sad memories that it held have been eradicated since you have been there. Now it's the place where you and I live, and hopefully one day our little ones too."

Daine joined in his laugh, her eyes welling up with tears once more and her cheeks blushing red with the reference to their future. She curled up closer to him, watching the snowflakes gently fall past the window in the last snow storm before spring galloped in like a lion.

When Alanna began to round them all up an hour or so later she found them both asleep by the fire and for a moment was tempted to leave them be as they looked so sweet together, curled up with their legs intertwined. However, things needed to be done, and decisions needed making, so she began to tap the mage's shoulder, just hard enough so that it would disturb him from his sleep.

They met the rest of their friends in the sitting room, sat at a long table. Thayet had left food out on the table to accommodate any one who was feeling pangs of hunger. Dusk was beginning to set, which was going to ass to the small problem that the children were now at the Tower with only Maud and Eleni.

"I should definitely go over there," Thayet announced with a sigh. "Otherwise Liam and Jasson at least will be worried that something has happened to mamma and papa."

"In that case we'd all better go, including you, George," Alanna said pointedly at her husband who was currently filling his face with cured meat and bread. "I can't believe you are eating food prepared by that traitor!" She exclaimed. George grinned, his mouth to full of food to respond. Alanna shuddered.

"How long will it take us to get there if we ride fast?" Sarge asked in his deep voice. "It's about an hour off nightfall. I wouldn't want to be riding late in conditions like this." He nodded to the window where snowflakes could be seen dancing past it, twirling like dancers.

"I've done it in two hours before now," Numair responded. "It takes three going at a leisurely pace, but seeing as we all have strong horses, it should take us an hour less than that, and we won't have much luggage."

"Let's hurry on, then," Thayet said, standing up, obviously keen to get to her children. They had passed them briefly on the way from the Tower to Pirate's Swoop, but the urgency of the situation had meant that she had only had time to briefly kiss them and assure them that everything was alright.

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They arrived back at the Tower in record time, accompanied by a group of the Riders who had taken it upon themselves as they were nearby to make sure that Synthia hadn't left any other surprises in the way of ambushes lying around. He hadn't, and the journey was a peaceful and uneventful one, met at the end by a barrage of children anxious to see their parents and the other adults that they had adopted as uncles and aunts.

Eleni and Maud had taken the children around the village houses, showing the residents the corn dollies in their basket and accepting gifts of food for them, which was given in respect of the maiden goddess. As they had approached, Daine had noticed several bon fires that had been lit, celebrating Imbolc and her sharp eyes had picked up in the fact that someone, probably Maud, had lit the candle that was still standing in each window.

The snow had now turned to rained that was dismissing the remainders of the white from the ground. Numair, glad to be back home after what had been a rather interesting day slumped into his chair and grinned at Daine, who was lighting candles that were surrounding the fire.

"I think I deserve a nice hot drink bringing to me," he smiled, expecting a rebuke at the mock order.

Daine looked at him scornfully. "In that case you'll be waiting a long time." She stepped away from the fire. "Brielyn came over before we got here and asked if I could go to the farm and see to one of the ewes who's having twins."

Numair sighed, pulling his face. George laughed at him. "She'll only be an hour!" he called from where he was sat, both of his twins on his knee, Alianne poking at the fresh cuts on his face. "Go with her. We won't set your house on fire or anything like that!" He jested.

"Isn't Imbolc night meant to be when couples spend time alone together?" Onua's voice sounded from a dark corner where she and Sarge were occupied in murmuring conversations.

"It's when men are meant to be gallant towards the woman they love," Thayet smiled. "And the only man here who had remembered that is your father, Alanna. He whisked Eleni up to their room some time ago with a bottle of wine and two glasses."

George chuckled. "Maybe we all have something planned," he teased, watching Numair stand up to go with Daine to the farm.

"You mean you're trying to think up something quickly now," Alanna grinned.

"There's plenty of wine and food," Numair offered. "Take a bottle. Most of your rooms have adjoining rooms that have a table in. You can be quite private."

"Where's Buri, by the way?" Onua looked around for her friend.

"She went with the Rider group to see if any more of Synthia's men were lurking. She did say goodbye to you, but I'm not surprised that you or Sarge didn't hear," Alanna replied, amusement on her face. "Come on then George, let's put these small people to bed."

The room was empty before Daine and Numair had left. She turned to him, seeing his tired face. "You really don't have to come, you know. I'll only be an hour. It wasn't an urgent call, Brielyn just wanted me check on the sheep and the lambs. She wasn't expecting a difficult birth."

"I'll feel better coming with you, Magelet," he said with a yawn. Daine shook her head and threw on her thick shawl that would hopefully keep her warm on the way.

The birth was not the easy one Brielyn had predicted, and Daine found that she had to nuse a great deal of her wild magic to help all three animals. Numair stood there, fascinated as he watched the procedure. Daine knew that his mind would be putting the practise against some theory he had probably read in a book once.

Miraculously, all three animals survived and the twin lambs were being suckled by their mother as they left to have a warm drink in the farmhouse.

Brielyn sat them down, introducing her daughter Raelyn, who would be working for Daine in keeping the Tower fresh for their arrivals.

Numair sat in an almost stunned silence as her heard Daine pass on instructions for the girl, telling her what to do and where to find things and to leave the whole of the ninth floor alone as that was where Numair's study was. At first he felt a little strange that he hadn't been included in this decision although he understood that it made sense. Daine had had a lot to do yesterday in preparing for the visitors and she'd had very little time in which to do it, having someone come in before they got there to see that everything was ready for them would be a hand, and Daine would have the chance to organise them when he was busy with his experiments.

He looked admiringly at the woman; her soft features and that stubborn chin that he knew only too well, with her big blue grey eyes and eyelashes that were the longest he'd ever seen and that soft mouth that he longed to reach over and kiss. She wasn't the young girl he'd first met; she had grown up and become the other part to his being. His eyes grew soft as gazed at her, until he noticed the farmer sat in his old rickety chair that had probably graced the house for centuries as a family heir loom staring at him, a perturbed look on his face. Numair coughed and diverted his eyes to the fire.

"Daine were askin' about th'old man tha' used te live in t'Tower," he heard Brielyn say in her broad accent. "'E were a nice man. Always 'ad somethin' te say that were pleasant, like. Who were he, Master Numair? Ye seemed te know 'im fairly well."

"He was my father," Numair told her in a quiet voice.

"Well I never!" Brielyn responded. "Ye did look a bit like 'im wi'hindsight. But I never worked tha' one out. At least ye got to spend a lot o'time wi'him while 'e were 'ere. He used te say ye were a good boy. Tha' was 'ow we got te know what ye did, ye know, for th'king."

Numair smiled, not quite sure of what to say. Daine noticed his discomfort and looked to change the subject.

"Would Raelyn like to come over tomorrow and do a few jobs then? She can get to know the place and I can show her where things are kept so she doesn't struggle when we're not there," she said, looking at the small, pale girl sat next to her mother.

"That would be good, Miss Daine," the girl answered for herself, much to Daine's surprised. "I'm lookin' forward to having my own job. When Ma told me about it I were quite thrilled."

Daine smiled, liking the younger girl immediately. Studying her closely she seemed practical and without the frippery found in some of the village girls who were only interested in finding a husband. "Are you betrothed?" She asked her, wondering if their was a handfast ceremony planned at Beltane for her.

Raelyn shook her head. "Ma wants me to get a job and have my own life afore I get wed. says then I'll be able to take better care of myself and have more sense when picking a husband.

Daine laughed, nodding her head in agreement, Brielyn going up in her estimation once more.

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The Tower was quiet when they returned and Daine felt exhausted, leaning on Numair as they walked through the doors. Everyone else appeared to have taken Onua's suggestion and was celebrating the romantic side of Imbolc; Daine could hear laughs coming from George and Alanna's room from the hallway.

She gave Numair a weary look as she took off her shawl, dropping it lazily on top of the nearest chair.

"I see you've settled in then," he smiled, pulling her into a hug and feeling her weight rest against him. "You've done well getting Raelyn to come here and help. Most of the locals are terrified of me."

Daine looked up and smiled. "It's not only the locals!" Numair laughed at her joke then swung her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to their rooms, to celebrate Imbolc in their own way.

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_The next chapter will be a standalone, set a few days after Imbolc. If I get enough **REVIEWS **to make me happy, I might consider putting it up… _


	10. Seventeen

**I would just like to thank everyone who reviews each chapter. I know it can be really hard to find things to say sometimes, so thank you so much. I value all the reviews and I'm also obsessed with stats I keep checking that counter…. (sad)**

**Silverlake: **I sometimes can't suss Numair out. In PotS he's seen as a bit aloof, in The Immortals he's lovely and sweet sometimes – he's such a fun character to write and try and develop as he's multi-faceted, probably more so than any other character. I'm glad his sweetness didn't seem ooc. **Bitterosemary: **I have too much of a desire to write and I do like the immediate feedback, so no need for begging! I feel that my control of plot and its intricacies has improved since I started writing. I never thought I could do it before, so thank you. I'm glad I'm pulling on many leads, rather than just one. **Celuna Cirrus: **There's a part in this chapter that brought tears to my eyes, whether because it was emotional of corny, I can't work out! **Dolphindreamer: **Thank you – as I've said before about your review! I hope you like this chapter. **Jess: **Flattery will get you everywhere! Here it is, enjoy and review! **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you, here is the standalone. **Lime63: **Thank you, I don't think I was particularly conscious of doing that, it kind of flowed. **Jade-Viper08: **Thank you! I like cats too. I had four, but I left them with my mum when I moved out, as it would have been cruel to separate them from her. Fluff is good – this chapter has plenty of it! **Goldeneyedwildmage: **You were very astute to work out who he was. I was glad you did because I thought it would be believable if you were realising already, so thank you! And I'm very proud to have your longest review ever! **Sonnet Lacewing: **Thank you. I enjoyed writing this festival more so than Midwinter. The part about the builder wasn't considered too much, but I think I was having an image of Henry VIII when I wrote it – even though his wives were at different times…

**A/N: This is a standalone chapter, so it's not absorbed into a festival. Daine was meant to have been conceived at Beltane, which would put her birthday roughly at Imbolc, or just after if Sarra went full-term. This has made me very enthusiastic about doing another long story once this has finished, based on some of the things mentioned here, so in that sense it's an important chapter for me. However, it was also an excuse to write fluff! Enjoy and let me know what you think. Reviews mean quicker updates….**

**Disclaimer: **You know what's Tammy's. I ain't profiting from this!

Seventeen

The first trickle of spring-like sun peeped in through the wide window and brightened up the room and causing a myriad or colour to spray against the wall as it woke a crystal that was hanging from the pole that the curtains fell from.

Daine sat up in bed and pulled the covers up around her tightly, for although the sun was sharing its light, it certainly wasn't divulging any heat. She put her feet on the long man that lay next to her and pulled a snoozing dragonet beside her, managing to wake both in the process. Kitten had only just gotten back from Dragonlands, where she had spent the last fortnight being taught by her relatives and apparently picking up bad habits from her young cousins, judging by the mess she had made already in the rooms where she lived with Daine and Numair.

She felt Numair's arm go around her and his lips kiss the skin of her hip. "Happy birthday, Magelet," he whispered sleepily, drawing closer to her and ignoring the cold of her feet.

Kitten crawled closer to Daine so that she was half over her lap and chirruped something that sounded like happy birthday. She petted the dragonet for a few minutes, before lying back down, snuggling next to her lover, who always managed to be much warmer that her.

Daine dozed off back to sleep, still tired after the journey back from the Tower where she and Numair lived when they weren't required at the palace, which wasn't often enough in her view. They had been intending to stay longer, and have Diamondflame bring Kit back to the Tower instead, but an urgent message from the king had brought them back sooner, and Daine felt rather aggrieved about it.

"It can't be helped," Numair had consoled when she complained about wanting time to settle in her home. "We are employed by him, so we really have to do what he says. Besides, you are hardly likely to let something desperately go wrong if you could have stopped it, are you?"

She had pulled a face at mage that did not become her almost seventeen years and proceeded to tickle him mercilessly, which had then lead to a tickling of a different kind and less time to pack, thus Daine forgetting to bring back a package of presents for Kitten that she had bought while Kitten had been away.

Now they were back at their home in the palace, surrounded much to Daine's surprise by many of her friends who she thought would have been away on various quests for the king. She had lifted her eyes to Numair the evening before while they were having dinner and asked as innocently as possible if some sort of party had been planned that she hadn't been informed about.

Numair had smiled at her question. "No, Daine, well, maybe something has been mentioned and I think some people do want to celebrate with you in the evening, but Thayet hasn't planned anything elaborate," he had reassured, Daine giving a sigh of relief.

Numair woke properly, kissing her once more then leaping out of bed. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he called to her, quickly pulling on a shirt and breeches before leaving her deep under the covers.

Kitten had used Daine's best loved spell to light the fire so it roared away in the hearth, warming the room up nicely. Numair arrived back with one of the servants who worked in the kitchens, between them armed with two plates of steaming hot breakfast food, hot tea and juice and on the tray that Numair carried was a single flower that Daine did not recognise.

He put the tray on her lap and eyed Kitten, who was looking jealously at their plates.

"Don't worry, Kitten," he murmured to the dragon. "Torin here will bring up some for you in a minute or two," he cosseted her with his tone.

Daine smiled at him incredulously. "I've never had a breakfast in bed before," she said shyly. "Birthdays have always been another normal day. Ma and Grandda used to make me presents and we would have a lot of fun, but there were still jobs to be done."

Numair sat down next to her and began to eat his own breakfast hungrily. Daine had been amazed at his morning appetite since she had moved in with him. While they had travelled together he had never yearned for food, eating solely to give him strength. Now they had been stationed in one place for awhile his appetite had settled and in the mornings he was usually ravenous.

"I have to bring you breakfast in bed on your birthday," he told her between mouthfuls. "It's your day to take it easy and be waited upon."

Daine smiled at his earnestness, swatting the dragonet's hand as she sneakily tried to pinch Daine's bacon, another trick she had learnt from her rather more mischievous cousins.

"We do have work to do for Jonathan, remember," she informed him quietly.

Numair shook his head, swallowing a piece of fried bread. "Jon says we can start tomorrow. If there are black opal mines around here I will be surprised, but we need to find out one way or another before anyone else does. Today, Magelet , is for us to spend as we please."

Daine looked at him, taking in his dark brown skin and black hair, the long nose that he pulled on when he was thinking and the deep, chocolate brown eyes that she melted into every time she looked at him.

"We could just stay here," she said, watching Kitten bolt out of the door to go and see her favourite friend in the kitchens. "It's been awhile since we've had a day in bed."

Numair took both of their trays and placed them on the dresser in their chamber room, lying on top of the sheets beside her.

"We can certainly start off here," he muttered, kissing her lips after each word. "But don't you want your birthday presents first?"

"I think I'm already having it!" Daine whispered in his ear, making Numair shiver agreeably.

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Numair had somewhere he wanted to take Daine that morning, somewhere he was sure that she hadn't been before; in fact not many people had been there before. Once they were ready, bundled up in clothes warm enough to stave of the still chilly air, he began to lead Daine and the now fully fed Kitten through he fields that were surprisingly unbog like given the amount of rain they had had. The landscape was filled with the slight beginnings of spring; buds were beginning to form on the trees, crocuses and snowdrops were proudly saluting the new sun and the tips of daffodil and tulip heads were starting to emerge from their winter slumbers.

They walked for about an hour, heading towards a natural inland cove, the path taking them upwards gently and then changing to a steeper slope that anyone less fit than Daine and Numair would have found exhausting. Kitten was in a sling around Numair so she could see what was coming in front of her. She had managed to walk across the fields but had begun to slow down and become tired when the incline had developed. Now she was fascinated by the views, desolate landscape, so far removed from the city of Corus and the palace. Trees could be sighted at the top of the tall hills, scattered lonesomely across the landscape, their bare branches still waiting for the kiss of spring. Underfoot the soil was dark, and added to the darkened scene. Daine could see peregrine falcons dancing about the sky as they climbed higher. In summer the place would be full of nesting swallows, swifts and sand martens as they migrated here for the summer. But for now they would be in a warmer climate, somewhere south of Carthak.

They reached the top of the cove roughly two hours after they had left the palace grounds. For a few minutes they paused, looking down over the giant ridge into the valley, Daine noticing the river that seemingly trickled out of nowhere.

"This used to be a giant waterfall millions of years ago," Numair told her in his gentle voice. "All of this would have been carved out by glacier meltwaters and erosion… but this is not a lesson, Magelet, another time perhaps."

He guided them on further, slightly more uphill and the steepest part of their climb so far. Drifts of snow lingered, and would do until the spring kicked in fully. Daine felt rather cold as they trudged through the snow, and wondered why Numair had not suggested that they wear clothing that was warmer.

He looked at her, smiling slightly as she shivered. "You'll start to warm up shortly," he told her as they came to a cluster of large stones.

Using his magic he moved one of the stones away, exposing a tunnel. Daine looked, slightly puzzled.

"Where exactly are you taking me?" Daine asked, a little concerned at their apparent trip underground.

Numair looked at her, his eyes slightly misted as he readied himself to drop down the large entrance. "I haven't said? And you've followed anyway?" He grinned obnoxiously. "Would you follow me anywhere, Magelet?"

Daine threw him a warning glare. "You said that we were going to see something special. You didn't say it involved small spaces."

"It is special. Trust me, Daine, you'll like it," his tone changed to one of softened persuasion and she followed him as he dropped down several feet into a darkened tunnel that began to descend gently into a blackened maze. At first the entrance was cold, but began to warm up as they moved deeper in. Numair used his gift to create a large fire ball that showered their path with light. At first the path stayed narrow, then as they continued down and their route became rather winding, the path broadened out and Daine found herself travelling through a series of natural rooms, each decorated by various sizes of stalagmites and stalactites. She looked around in amazement as they ventured down into a smaller room, where the rock formations shone with different colours. She could see what seemed like a collection of gemstones still encapsulated in the rocks.

Numair noticed what had captured her attention. "They are quartz, different types too. There's smoky quartz over there," he informed her. "The different minerals in the rocks are what gives them their different colours."

"Why haven't they been mined?" She asked, recognising some types of quartz to be expensive and sought after gems.

"Jon keeps them here by way of insurance. He technically owns these caves and their contents, but mining here would reduce a place of outstanding beauty and interest. It's also by way of insurance, like a massive saving of money for the country." Numair explained.

"Why haven't other people tried to get in here in secret?" Daine asked curiously as she admired the rocks. She also noticed a strange hanging of something white-like and shiny falling from the ceiling.

"It's not well known, and there is enough folklore about this hill to keep most people away permanently. The stone I moved to get in is charmed so that only certain people can move it. It was one of the first things Jon had me do when he employed me," Numair informed her, noticing her gaze latching onto something quite remarkable. "That's called a 'snotty"," he said, seeing Daine's face light up with amusement at the name.

"Are there any living beings in here that I wouldn't be able to sense? I have heard the bats already, although they are in having their big sleep. It feels a little like the divine realms, that my senses have been numbed," she asked, sliding her finger against the cave wall, feeling its roughened texture that was also patterned in an odd way.

"Yes, there are extremophiles, creatures that are able to live in extreme places. A lot of the colours you'll see as we continue are actually microbes. Some look like they are giving off white light. You'll see those further on. As far as caves go, these are easy for us to access. For others we would need to find ways to transport oxygen with us to explore," he replied.

"You can use your gift to that, can't you?" She asked, worriedly.

Numair nodded. "That's how we've explored several of the caves in Tortall. When I first began to work at the palace I was asked to examine the sights where caves were rumoured to be. They wanted a mage to do it as people have always thought that the caves would be enchanted."

"Were they?" she said, focused on Numair.

"Some were places that seemed to hold magic. You know that certain stones are used to amplify magic, so a place where several different stones are held en masse could amplify a great deal of magic, hence the suspicions," he became engrossed in a structure that looked as if it should have been sculpted by some great artist.

His studying was broken by an impatient chirrup from Kitten and he began to lead them on, deeper into the depths of the earth, whizzing through caves that became more and more elaborate with their furnishings as they moved further in. Stalactites that had taken thousands of years to form seemed to have been lacquered in strange colours and something that Numair had told were called halite flowers became more common. The caves were damp and walls were covered in a wet film. Although the walls looked smooth, they were not. As they progressed further they seemed to be walking in a slight stream of water and Numair sent word to be careful, as the floor became slippier.

He came to an abrupt stop just as the cave floor began to level off.

"This is why I brought you here," he told her, his voice echoing around the small room. He led them through a small opening and the noise of falling water grew louder. The mage created another ball of light and the large chamber they had entered was illuminated. Daine opened her eyes to the largest waterfall she had ever seen.

They were stood on a wide ledge that was about half way up the total height of the water's drop. Looking down she saw a pool of water that grew into a river which flowed out to what Daine guessed must be the water that was outside at the bottom of the cove.

"Where does the water come from?" She asked amazed at the sheer force of the liquid as it fell.

"An underground river that leads from the mountains, collecting melted snow and precipitation as it moves slowly downwards, culminating in this," he gestured to illustrate to her the vastness of the chamber that they were now in. At the far end a large stalactite dropped, as thick as an old tree trunk that Numair explained had taken hundreds of thousands of years to form. The walls glistened with the same gems Daine had noticed on their descent.

For several minutes she stood with Numair's arms wrapped around her from behind, Kitten sat at their feet, watching the results of nature's magic.

"How did you decide to bring me here?" She asked the mage quietly, just so he could hear over the volume of the water.

"You're the tenth person in living memory to come here. I thought it was apt to take you somewhere you'd never seen on your birthday," he answered. "Do you like it?" He asked shyly.

"It's amazing," she replied. "I thought places like this would only exist in stories."

She felt Numair shake his head. "No, they truly are real." She felt Numair turn her round so she was facing him, no longer the teacher, now her lover.

"Happy birthday, Daine," he whispered, handing her a parcel, neatly wrapped as usual.

She opened it carefully, the sound of the water dropping and echoing in the chamber providing background music. Inside she found a slim, silver bangle, centred with a black jewel that she recognised to be an opal.

She looked at him aghast, knowing how expensive they were and yet thrilled at the gift. He seemed to have begun a tradition of buying her jewellery, and this was the latest piece and probably the most amazing.

"I can afford it, Daine," he smiled, knowing what she was thinking. "Do you like it?"

She nodded, not quite sure what to say. "I can't use it for magic, though?" She said, still half shocked by the gift.

Numair shook his head. "I'm sure it will have its uses and we'll discover them. It's laden with the usual protection and anti poison spells as well, which…" Daine cut off the beginning of his lengthy explanation by kissing him thoroughly, the sound of the torrenting water fading into the background such was the ferocity of the kiss. He responded eagerly, any sense of worry that she mightn't like his gift submerged by their desire.

----------------------

It was mid-afternoon by the time they returned to the palace, the place still swarming with people. Daine was exhausted and hungry by the amount of walking and difficult walking in places. On their way back to their rooms they stopped at the kitchens and Numair, at his most persuasive, managed to convince the cook to make some lunch up for them and have it delivered to their rooms.

Daine felt alive again once she had eaten and bathed in a tub of hot water, Numair's gift secured around her wrist. It still surprised her when she noticed that she had jewellery, associating it with monied people and nobles. The people in Snowsdale would have been astonished had they seen the possessions she now had and the company that she kept, although she still had doubts as to whether they would find Numair respectable.

Kitten had wandered off to see Tkaa, her energy quashed for a very short period of time before she became bored and needed more stimulation than Numair and Daine could provide while they looked like they were about to have an indolent afternoon. With Kitten away, Numair took advantage of the situation and dived in the bath with Daine, causing a tsunami of water to flood over the side.

They spent the time until evening making love in the large bed, relishing the time with no interruptions or duties to attend to, only each other. Daine realised again as she lay back down on the crumpled sheets, her hair wild and her heart pounding, that she was meant to be with this man, and that fate had planned this to happen, as she was sure that there would be no body else with whom she could fit so perfectly.

-------------------

Numair had told her that Thayet had arranged a meal for friends in one of the smaller halls, so Daine pulled on a pretty dress in a deep purple with thin straps, that fitted in all the right places. She added a little paint to her face and tamed her curls so they didn't give away how she had spent the afternoon, although her flushed cheeks certainly told stories.

She waited for Numair to finish his own dressing, as usual, on the last minute, although she had to admit that he had let her use the bath chamber first and waited for her to get ready before starting his own preparations.

They made their way through the corridors and hallways of the palace to the large room where there were to be celebrations for her birthday. Thayet generally jumped on any excuse to have some form of formalised dinner and birthdays were generally a good enough justification. The room was filled with people that she knew, including Evin, her friend from when she had first arrived in Tortall, and other people from the rider group that he commanded. Alanna and George were there which was a bit of a surprise as she had thought they were remaining at Pirate's Swoop for a while longer, as were Onua and Sarge. Buri was in a corner, catching up with Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, her words seeming to come at a rapid rate as she described some run in she had recently had. For a brief moment Daine wondered if there could ever be anything between Buri and Raoul; both were single with similar interests, both had similar sense of humour and fun and they always seemed very keen to talk to each other when they met. Daine sighed. It appeared she was turning into Thayet.

The first hour or so of the gathering was spent informally, people chatting away and bringing gifts to Daine which she received with the vague feeling that it should be someone else taking the gifts, as peasant girls from Snowsdale didn't get such tokens.

Numair watched her out of the corner of his eye, smiling at the pleasure and surprise on her face as she unwrapped various trinkets, which included lots of items that would help to pretty up the Tower. He knew that one of the reasons he loved her so was because of the accepting charm she had about her; she didn't expect any of this, unlike some of the noble ladies he had been involved with. He recalled a birthday spent with one lady in particular. It had been Avia's twenty fifth birthday, and he had been courting her for about five weeks, during which time he was working hard on a new spell. He couldn't remember exactly which spell, as there had been a few going on at the time, but he knew he had been totally immersed in his work at the time. He had remembered to wish her all the best, but the notion of actually buying her a present had been lost completely. She had not been happy, having expected – as she vented in front of everyone, including her parents – an expensive token of his feelings. Numair, faced with the stress of a rather complicated experiment and the wrath of a woman he did not particularly care about said a few rather choice words and stormed off. The letter he received from Avia a few days later was immediately put on the fire, rather than adding fuel to his. He had no time for demanding females who expected far too much. But Daine was different. Small things brought her genuine pleasure. Purely just being with certain people was enough for her and she never expected any grand gestures, and that made him want to give her presents and spoil her all the more, because it would never become something she took for granted.

Jonathan was trying to get people to take their seats at the table that had been laid out for them, decorated with purple candles that had already been lit. Daine sat next to Numair rather shyly as they had been sat where Thayet and Jonathan would usually be; the king and queen sat to Daine's left.

"There won't be any speeches, will there?" Daine muttered under her breath as she sat, gathering her skirts neatly as Thayet had taught her to.

Numair laughed quietly. "You have Jon, Thayet and George in a room with none of the elder members of court present, and there is Alanna who seems to have discovered her tongue recently at occasions like this, and you are hoping that there won't be any speeches?" Her eyes opened widely at him. "Sorry, Magelet, but that just won't happen. I, for one, have every intention of having my say." He looked straight ahead, refusing to meet her gaze.

The meal began and Daine noticed that Thayet had not left anything out. By the end of the feast she doubted that she would need feeding again that week and wondered if her skirts were full enough to hide the bulge in her stomach. She eyed Numair and saw him trying to loosen his breeches discreetly, to give his expanding stomach some room.

"You're going to have to be careful, you know," she whispered evilly. "If you carry on eating at this rate your admirers will stop sneaking glances at those stomach muscles."

He looked at her, half concerned for a split second and then mustered his look into an amused glare. "Very funny, Magelet."

Glasses were being refilled, and Daine could sense that she wasn't going to get away unscathed from this birthday. Previously, she had been away from the palace when it was her birthday, hence she had never been given a celebration in her honour before, and she was overwhelmed all ready. She saw Jonathan stand up, an empty glass and silver spoon in hand, tapping the glass gently to silence people. This time he actually managed not to break the glass.

His speech was kept short, mainly focusing on the great deeds she had done for the country since she had been there, and her part in the defeat against Ozorne and Uusoae. Daine blushed and wished for the earth to swallow her up as he referred to her as brave and courageous and one of Tortall's heroines, although she saw Numair grinning with pride beside her.

Jon stopped his speech and Daine thought thankfully that that would be the end and people would be able to carry on with their own conversations and remove their attention from her.

Then she saw Thayet stand and thought a curse that she would never say out loud. She saw Numair's face tighten slightly, knowing that there would be no way that Thayet would leave him out of her speech.

She didn't, describing Daine's growing confidence since arriving in Tortall, her presence in the palace and the change she had brought to Numair's life, first as his student and now as his lover. She described a man who was somewhat lost within his life; having no family and likened Daine to the same, carrying on to describe the chemistry that everyone but them had noticed develop after they had returned from Carthak, and gradually realising it for themselves.

Daine noticed Numair's embarrassed expression as Thayet continued and she knew hers was the same.

"I think Jon needs to put a bit more romance into Thayet's life," he whispered to Daine at the height of the speech. "Then she might focus less on other people."

"Or it could be that she has too much," Daine argued back. "And she wants everyone to be just as happy."

She felt Numair grab her hand under the table and hold it tightly, smiling at her inanely.

"She is right in what she says, though," he admitted, reddening somewhat, and then he kissed her tenderly. Unfortunately, Thayet had decided to end her speech at that moment, so all eyes were diverted back to the couple in question and the sight of them punctuating her speech in such a manner caused a round of applause to erupt from those present.

Numair stood up, a little red in the cheeks but his eyes were shining. Daine felt herself cringe slightly; she had every suspicion that Numair's speech would overtake Thayet's. She had never been made a fuss over, and particularly not in situations like this. Kalasin caught her eye from across the table and Daine sat up a little straighter. She had caught Kally's meaning, she would have speeches like this made over her every week once she married Kaddar. Daine had to go through once a year at the most.

Numair coughed, clearing his throat. Daine braced herself. She eyed a piece of paper being passed around Evin's Rider Company and realised that someone had opened a book on how long the speech would last. She prayed it would be quick.

"Veralidaine began as my student and my friend and ended up as much more, as most of you are aware. On countless occasions she has aided and saved Tortall and its residents, most of which events have now gone down as legends as famous as those told about the Lioness. Without looking at her, I know that she has begun to blush at this statement of her success and popularity, because that is the type of person she is. She is intelligent, courageous and more besides, but she is also modest and unassuming and kind. She became my hero a long time ago, and I can only hope to be hers," he ended, looking down at Daine whose eyes had now filled with happy tears. He pulled her up to him and unabashedly kissed her in front of their audience. Daine relaxed in his hold and momentarily forgot where they were, returning the kiss with fervour. She could hear applause and a wolf-whistle from George in the background, but it was lost on her as she drank in Numair's words, realising that she was the love of this man's life, almost unconditionally. The kiss finally ended, by which time most people were on their feet anyway. George leapt onto his chair to gain some height, holding his tankard high into the air.

"Daine Sarrasri!" He toasted, his voice booming to all corners of the room. The toast was echoed and Daine fell into a pool of laughter, thankful that the speeches were over, but most of all, captivated by the man that stood next to her who would not let go of her hand. She glanced up at him as he lead her to the area that had been cleared for them to dance in, seeing what he felt for her painted on his face in colours that would never wash off and knowing that the image was reflected on hers.

As the music started she leant into him, barely moving even though the dance was a quick one, just wanting to be as close to him as she possibly could and to keep on seeing that look he had in his eyes forever.

"Happy, Magelet?" He asked her softly.

"More that I ever thought I would be," she replied, as the rest of their day began.

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And now, REVIEW, thank you!


	11. Ostara Part I

**NealsChick: **Hope you're enjoying yourself in Tahoe. Brothers are there to annoy you, that's why they were made! **Calisto Mae: **Thank you, I'm glad you are enjoying this, it's nice to know that people like it – it gives me hope for when I start my own stuff. **Bitterosemary: **I've enjoyed writing these last two chapters, particularly this one. The previous chapter will lead on to the next big story (probably my last for a while) as I am currently having a fascination with caves and I think it will provide a good setting. Thank you for reviewing Away – I've now put more up on fictionpress hint hint! **Lime63: **I couldn't decide if Numy's speech was corny or sweet, sop I'm glad you liked it! **Twilight Shades: **If I find any photos of underground waterfalls while I'm researching the next story I'll email you them. I'm glad the waterfall sounded good, that was what I was aiming for. **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you! **Feyrey: **I am trying to keep the action part simple now – see what you think of this. I had a look at Sara Douglass's home page, the story of how she started writing the axis trilogy was really interesting. I will give the books ago once I find some time. I have a pile of books a mile high that I want to read at the moment! **Silverlake: **Thank you. I like writing fluff. It makes me smile and I go all warm inside.The world needs more fluff! **Mage's Whisper: **Thank you! **Sonnet Lacewing: **I've said before, I hate technology! Thank you. I imagine she did reward him! **DolphinDreamer: **Your reviews are nearly as long as my chapters! Not that I'm complaining! Thank you, you always bring up so many useful things, I think you should do this professionally. **Aravilui: **At one point I was going to have George fall off his chair, but I thought that would be too much. I would like to do something George/Alanna focused – possibly for the Lughnasadh festival. I really like them as a couple. (Jon and Alanna would never have worked!) **Jade-Viper08: **Thank you! I like how you said it was fluffier than a chinchilla! That made me laugh. I think it needs to have a balance of fluff/peril. Peril leads to fluff anyway, usually, and too much of one can be boring. I hope I can maintain that balance. **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you, I enjoyed writing that chapter! **Jess: **I think I will do more little standalone chapters like this, it was fun. Thank you.

**Thanks for your reviews! **

**Disclaimer: **You know what belongs to TP…

**Ostara Part I **

Chapter 1 – Dunlath

The sweet scent of spring danced on the air, all traces of cold and darkness now evaporated by the gently warming sun. The trees bore blossoms and some fruit was beginning to appear already, a sure sign that winter had been overcome and the heat of summer was on its way. The bright sun hung high in the sky, tomorrow it would appear there for the same duration as the moon, as it was the vernal equinox; from thereon in the days would become longer than the nights, until midsummer when the night would begin to slowly catch up, and their lengths would then become even once more at the autumn equinox; Mabon, thus continuing the wheel of the year.

Daine had not been to Dunlath for over two years and hadn't seen Maura or any of the Long Lake Pack since then. She and Numair were now returning to Dunlath, sent by Jonathan to look into complaints from both Maura and the animals in the area about pollutants being dumped into the river, causing problems for those who had to live near to it and used it for their water source.

It was getting toward evening, and they were still some way off the castle, having stopped in the afternoon so Daine could heal a deer that had been injured by an arrow. It was becoming one of her pet hates; these hunters who had never learnt how to use their bows properly and left injured animals in pain, rather than managing a clean shot. She had no qualms about hunting; she was after all the daughter of the Hunt-god, Weiryn. But she disliked finding animals injured at the hand of an unskilled archer.

The healing had taken some time, and they knew that it would be useless to hope that they would reach Maura by sundown. Instead, Numair hoped to be able to reach the inn where they had stayed the last time they came to Dunlath, as it would be easier to disturb the innkeeper there than wake Maura, who would feel obligated to welcome them formally.

Daine had been happy with the idea, amused at staying in rooms again that had a locked door between them, although she doubted that this time she would be staying in one and Numair in the other. Glancing at him as they rode she smiled, content and thrilled in the knowledge that he was now much more than her teacher as he had been then; although she sometimes wondered if it had been whilst they were in Dunlath that her feelings for him had begun to be woken.

They were riding at speed, with little chance to take in the surroundings. Daine had sent silent calls to animals and birds as she heard them in her mind, but came to a sudden halt when she heard one particular voice.

_This had better be good! _Her irate mount warned her. _Can you not give me more warning when you want me to stop, and all because of those terrifying creatures you call friends! _

Daine laughed slightly, dismounting. Numair looked at her, wishing for the millionth time that he could hear more of these conversations. He had long since given up any paranoia and had adjusted himself in the knowledge that a good portion of Cloud's comments were insults about him. He looked in the direction of Daine's gaze, and realised that this time Cloud hadn't been discussing him. Three wolves were running towards them. He felt his horse, Spots, tense under him, fear of the wolves apparent.

Daine rushed forward to meet them, speaking her words out loud, in her enthusiasm forgetting that she could speak mind to mind.

"Brokefang! Battle!" She exclaimed, falling to her knees to greet them, being washed by wet tongues and occasionally tapped by a wagging tail. Numair, who had dismounted Spots by now, was secretly pleased to see that he was also being reacquainted by three of the other wolves who had now appeared, one whom he recognised to be Berry, a wolf who had been a small pup when they had last been there, and Frolic and Short Snout.

Their hellos were interrupted by an unhappy cry that came from the carry bag that Kitten rode in when they travelled. She had been asleep for most of the early evening, having exhausted herself in being playfully mischievous all afternoon by making the stones that Numair wore glow and vibrate, and occasionally give off smoke, which had distracted the mage endlessly as he rode and had made poor Spots a quivering wreck. Now she had heard the commotion going on around her and she wanted to be a part of it, piping impatiently for someone to fetch her down. Numair stood up from the wolves that had gathered around him and went to get the dragonet, wondering if this was practise for having children.

Once she was down on the ground she was immediately surrounded by the four wolves that she had played with when they had last been here. Back then, the wolves had been pups, and had been rather scared of the dragon, causing Kitten to sulk and be quite unhappy. By the time they left, they had become good friends, and they were now reliving some of that relationship by tormenting each other mercilessly. Numair laughed as he saw Kitten have her tail pulled and then retaliate by chasing Silly into a nearby puddle.

Daine was sat beside Brokefang, the pack's leader, who she realised was becoming an older wolf now, and he was no longer the young, inexperienced wolf as she had first known him.

_I see you have your pack leader with you?_ Brokefang said in his wise manner. _You see, you do need a pack, Daine, and I always thought he would make a good mate for you._

Daine blushed slightly, sneaking a glance at Numair who was engaged in a game with some of the younger wolves, his usually neat horse tail now lose about his shoulders. For a second she felt swamped with the strong emotion he erupted in her, and she felt an unbelievable longing to be held by him, and carted off to a cave somewhere where they could be alone.

_See,_ Brokefang said to her, a look in his eyes that was too wise to be a wolf's. _That's how I would look at Rattail._

Daine sadly remembered Rattail, Brokefang's mate who was killed because of her in Snowsdale. He had since taken another mate, Frostfur, Rattail's sister and a wolf that Daine had never gotten along with. She now realised that Frostfur was absent, having not yet heard any of her sly jibes aimed at Daine.

_Where is Frostfur? _She asked Brokefang.

_She has been affected by the bad magic that has been put into the water. She drank from it a few days ago and is now sick,_ he explained.

_Take me to her, I will probably be able to help, _she replied. However much she and Frostfur did not get along, she was not going to allow their feud to stop her from helping Brokefang's mate.

He gathered up the rest of the pack while Numair and Daine remounted, with Kitten being put safely back in her carry bag on Cloud. Her horse was in a mood, Daine could tell. Even though Numair had placed a spell years ago to stop Daine being overcome with her wild magic and leaving her human self to run with the pack, Cloud could still remember those days well when she was with the pack. Daine tried to console her, put Cloud pretended that she couldn't hear.

_I will sell you to that man who makes dumplings! _ She shouted at the mare. _You are being silly. I am not going to leave you, Kitten or Numair to run with the pack. I don't have the urge to do that anymore. _

_So the stork-man has done you some good then,_ she heard the mare reply. _At least he keeps your feet on the ground, rather than your paws. _

Daine couldn't help but laugh, and then found herself having to relay the conversation to Numair.

They reached the place which the wolves were using as a den. It was as small cave, well away from the main pathways where they could be discovered, although that was unlikely, seeing as Tait, the huntsman of the castle, would not track the wolves after their alliance in bringing down Yolane, Maura's half sister.

Daine found Frostfur curled up near the back of the cave, her eyes opening slightly to show an unnatural yellow hue. Numair crouched down next to Daine as she tenderly begun to examine Brokefang's mate.

"This could give some indication of how the lake is being poisoned," Numair said softly. "And hopefully it will tell us how to heal any other animal that is suffering as well."

Daine pulled a twist of copper fire from inside her and began to seek out the damage done by what she had drunk. Inside the wolf's stomach she discovered a grey liquid like substance, touching it with her magic she found that it burnt, a little like being scalded with hot water. She imagined her magic to be cooling and started to poor it onto the poison, feeling relief as it began to subside into a smaller mass.

_Is that any better?_ She asked Frostfur when she had done.

_Yes, _the wolf replied. _It doesn't feel as hot. I felt like I had drunk fire. _The wolf resumed her sleep, her breathing easier and less strained.

_Was she the only one affected? _She asked Brokefang. The pack leader affirmed.

"Daine," she heard Numair call to her. "If there's no more you can do, then we really need to be heading to the inn. It's still half an hour's ride away and it's now dark. We can return tomorrow to check on her, and find out some more about what might have happened to the water."

She stood up, knowing the sense in what he said. Although her magic was never drained like his could be, she now felt exhausted with the combination of riding all day and having to concentrate carefully on two rather complicated healings.

_We'll be back in the morning, _she told Brokefang. _I think she will live; the poison that was in her seems to have gone smaller. Hopefully tomorrow I will get rid of it all. _

_Thank you, _the wolf responded. _I do not want to lose another mate. _

Daine and Numair set off toward the inn run by Parlan, Tait's brother. The half hour ride that Numair had promised felt like it was taking an eternity to Daine, who was now overcome with fatigue. Night creatures told her of the lake and the water, complaining that it was nearly the mating season and the polluted water would affect their young.

"Where has this pollution come from, do you think? Is it like when Karrum Makheen used the stones?" Daine asked half sleepily as they rode close to each other.

"I don't think so. From everything we've been told, it seems as if it's an accident. It doesn't add up to be deliberate. What bothers me is that we are fairly close to the City of Gods here," he said, she could just about make out the thoughtful look on his face in the moonlight.

"What makes you think it's not an act of terror?" She queried, although she much preferred the idea that it was an accident.

"Dunlath is such small, quiet place; there really is very little to gain by attacking it. Maura doesn't draw her water source from the lake or rivers, she uses the specially made lakes further in the mountains, so it won't really hurt her physically, but it does damage the crops and animals that do use that water. I think that this is the result of someone's carelessness," he added as they approached the inn.

There were no hostlers around to take their horses, so they led them into the inn's stables themselves. Master Parlen came out to greet them, recognition in his eyes.

"Good evening, sir, mistress," he bowed slightly. "Would ye be wantin' rooms?"

Numair laughed. "As quickly as possible if you have any spare. We've had a long journey and are most tired."

The inn-keeper nodded, and led them inside, his eyes opening wide as he saw Kitten's head pop out of her carry-bag. The last time they had been here she had stayed hidden, as Daine and Numair had not wanted to alert attention to her. This time, foul play wasn't suspected, so she was able to look around curiously and draw some curiosity herself.

"Will ye be wantin' separate rooms again?" Parlen asked, a note of amusement in his voice.

Numair saw Daine colour. He knew that it would be now crossing her mind that Parlen thought her a loose woman, and that Numair had taken advantage of her, but that wasn't a good reason to hide their relationship. He knew that she was proud of it, as he was, and he wasn't about to let her think that he wanted to keep it hidden.

"No, we'll just need one, preferably one with a small adjoining room for our charge, here," he gestured to Kitten.

Master Parlan nodded and took at set of keys from a cupboard, beckoning for them to follow him. He led them up three flights of stairs and then down a long, uneven corridor. At the bottom of it he stooped and unlocked the door.

"This is where we've 'ad several members of court stay," he told them in a proud voice. "This inn 'as been in my family for nigh on 300 years an' we've 'ad many a royal stay the night in this room. It's not exactly what ye asked for, but it's all we've got available."

Daine and Numair entered and Numair smiled as he looked around. There was a large four poster bed, elaborately draped with red material. Comfortable chairs were placed at the bottom of the room over looking the stables and there was a large bath chamber and a small separate room that would be big enough for Kitten to sleep in.

As they had found the last time they had stayed, it was immaculately clean. Even the drapes over the bed looked as if they had been recently washed, and they were obviously of good quality.

"Thank you, Master Parlen," Numair said graciously. "If it is possible, do you think a hot bath could be filled and maybe a light snack prepared, as it is some time since we have eaten."

The inn keeper nodded and Daine noticed Numair slip a couple of gold coins into Parlen's hand. Two minutes after he had left a maid arrived, obviously sent to fill the large bath so they could bathe.

"Will ye be wantin' me to come an' refill it after one of ye 'as bathed?" She asked shyly, addressing Daine rather than Numair.

"I think so. It would be nicer for the other person to have clean water," Daine replied, also shyly. She had still not gotten used to maids speaking to her as if she was a noble, or at least of a higher ranking than them. She knew it amused Numair, the way she would go out of her way to be a nice to the people who waited on them as she could. Not that he didn't, he had had a sense of politeness instilled into him also, but Daine felt as if she should be the one offering to do things and being ordered about, rather than the one giving the instructions.

"Are you ready for Ostara?" She asked the girl, who couldn't have been much older than the girl they were going to see.

The maid nodded her head enthusiastically. "We've got wooden eggs to paint this year. Lady Maura gave them to all 'er staff, a big box of 'em. My brother works at the castle, so 'e got them. We'll throw some painted hard boiled ones in the river. Will you be doin' that too, Mistress?"

Daine smiled, partly at the girl's enthusiasm for Ostara and partly at Maura's generosity. "I think we will be making some krahanky, yes."

The girl continued to chat as she filled up the bath with warm water, and Daine saw Numair slip outside. Glancing quickly out if the window she saw him head outside, and she wondered where he was heading to at this hour.

She bathed first, enjoying the hot water soothing her tired muscles and relaxing in the deep water. She was just about to fall asleep, when she heard the door click open and Numair's voice letting her know that he was back.

"Where have you been?" She called, puzzled as to why he hadn't let her know.

He wandered into the bathroom and passed her a towel as she stood up to get out of the bath. "I walked down to one of the small streams that flows from River Dunlath and took a sample of the water," he told her, holding up a small vial. "After I've eaten I'm going to check to see what is in it that shouldn't be."

She smiled as his gaze moved from the vial to her, obviously finding a little more interest there than in the water.

"Do the animals know not to drink from the water sources?" He asked, concernedly.

Daine nodded, dropping the towel and pulling on clean clothes. "I passed on the message as soon as I found out, though most of them knew all ready. The worst case of anyone being affected was Frostfur. I've not heard of any animal actually die from this, it just makes them sick for a few days and then they seem to recover well enough."

Numair nodded, pulling her toward him in a hefty hug, her wet hair dampening his shirt. He picked her up and carried her to the large bed where Kitten had fallen asleep as soon as she had laid down. His kissing and light petting were interrupted by a knock at the door, causing Numair to groan, sit up and pull a pillow over his lap, leaving Daine to straighten up her clothes and answer it.

It was the well-meaning maid who had returned to refill the bath and brought them light snacks of a bowl of thick broth and chunky bread. They took the food to the table near the large window and looked up at the clear night sky, Numair pointing out constellations in between mouthfuls, even though he knew Daine could recognise most of them herself by now.

In the distance, she spotted two rabbits hopping in a field. They were white ones, the ones associated with the maiden goddess, particularly at Ostara. They were seen as a sign of fertility, and this was the festival associated with fertility and rebirth, as the maiden goddess was courted by the sun god and they conceived a child, who would be born at the next Midwinter.

Numair noticed what she was looking at. "The part of the reason rabbits re associated with Ostara is that there is a story that she found a bird dying of the cold and changed it into a rabbit. It then survived the cold and lived, so in essence the bird was reborn."

Daine looked at him smiling, taking his hand from across the table. "I know another reason too," he looked at her with curious eyes and she squashed a laugh. "Rabbits mate a lot, and this is the festival of fertility."

Numair smiled. "You have practical thoughts," he said quietly into his soup.

"One of us needs to," she retorted, tearing a piece of bread and dunking it in the bowl.

-------------------

After he had eaten and bathed, Numair settled down to examine the water he had taken from the stream. He could tell almost instinctively that there was some kind of magic within the water, but what he didn't know was what sort of magic.

He took out some instruments from one the bags and set them out on the table and split a third of the water into two pots. Into one he dropped something from a vial he carried; the other he began to heat gentle with a flame from the candle. The water in the first pot changed colour automatically, creating almost a rainbow in the pot. He took a gem from a pouch and placed that in the water, studying the reaction. It was as he suspected. He looked at the second pot where all of the liquid had now evaporated, leaving grains of what looked like red and blue salt.

He sat back in the chair and looked toward Daine who was talking to a bat that she had let in through the window. She felt Numair's stare and turned to him.

"Wisewing – he's the bat who let me fly with him – has seen some people in the City of Gods working near the river there. He wonders if that has something to do with the state of the water," she said, the bat hovering as best it could near to her.

Numair nodded politely at the small creature. "Thank you Wisewing, that helps to confirm what I have just discovered. It seems someone has been performing spells that are intended to wash away waste – ablutum quisquiliae – and then the result of the spell, which the mage probably thinks is harmless, is tainting the water."

"So what do we do?" Daine asked. "This needs to be dealt with."

The bat flew out of the open window, which Daine then closed.

"Well first, we sleep. Then we will wake up and go to the morning ceremony for Ostara and then see Maura and let her know our theory. And I'll probably look for a way to counteract the wastage from the spell and you can check on the pack and Frostfur. Then the day after tomorrow we will probably go to the City of Gods," he explained, his arms folded across his chest as he did when he was being assertive and feeling in charge.

"What is the matter, Magelet?" He asked her, seeing her face fall slightly.

"I'm not sure about the first thing," she murmured into his ear.

"Why, we need to sleep?" He sounded a little worried.

"We do, but isn't there something we need to finish before we sleep?" she said.

Numair grinned.

--------------------------

As Daine was falling asleep in his arms she heard the sound of soft footsteps walk to their room and put something on the floor outside the door. Managing to untangle herself from Numair she flung his robe around her and opened the door a tad, finding purple candle left with a scrap of paper, a note scrawled in unpractised handwriting.

"Miss Daine," it read. "This is to help you celebrate Ostara, hope you don't think I'm being impertinent giving to you. Heleani."

Daine smiled at the girl's kindness. She glanced down the long corridor to see if she could see where the girl was to thank her. She spotted her right at the end of it, standing over a cluster of the same purple candles. In the still night air, Daine could hear her words clearly.

"Fare ye well to wintry spirits and friends. On ye morrow we shall greet the spirits of spring. Our blessings we give as on your way we wend, and merry we'll meet next winter again," then Daine saw her blow out the candles, pausing slightly after each one. "Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again," she whispered.

Daine crept back into the room, knowing that Heleani's ritual had been a solitary one and she would have been embarrassed to know that she had been watched. The wildmage lit the purple candle she had been given and quietly muttered the last of Heleani's words as she blew the small flame out, before crawling back in to bed and curling up next to Numair.

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	12. Ostara Part II

**JadeViper08: **He he! Thank you for your review, you made me smile. **Myrtle Riddle: **Thank you. **Goldeneyedwildmage: **I hoped you were okay! Thank you for pointing out about wisewing, it will be one of the things I correct when I one day edit. **Silverlake: **Thank you, they were fun to write. It was the first time I think that I've written animals like that. **Bitterosemary: **Thank you. I always had in mind that Ostara would be in Dunlath, I don't know why. **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you! **NealsChick: **Here's the update! **Celuna Cirrus: **I hope I've done her justice. I was a bit worried about how I portrayed her. **Sonnet Lacewing: **Thank you – I took your suggestion! **Animal Writer 1: **Ostara is basically pagan easter – I'll explain more below. **Lime 63: **Pretend you're a teacher and have to mark lots of books; Good, or Could do better are comments that I use when marking, quick and they let the child know that you've read it. **Dolphin Dreamer: **You still wrote reams! Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! **Aravilui: **Thank you. Wolf Speaker is the book I've read least from the quartet, so it was quite refreshing to go back to it. **Feyrey: **Thank you, this was much more fun to write, it felt much more gentle (?), I'm glad its compulsive, that means it's working!

**A/N: **I found some really interesting stuff out about Ostara and Easter while doing this, so I thought I'd bore you with it! The names Ostara and Easter are from the word oestrogen, the female hormone. Early Catholics chose the first Sunday after the vernal equinox as Easter Sunday as they didn't want it to be the same day as a pagan festival. There are so many traditions that we have taken from paganism, that has nothing to do with Christianity – I was amazed. If anyone wants to know more, I have some really good links I can send.

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to TP. The words for the rituals are tradition pagan ones which I found on some very useful websites.**

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**

**Ostara PartII**

Chapter 2 – Maura

Daine awoke to brilliant sunshine beginning to dance through the windows of the room they were in. She stirred in the large bed and began to try to wake Numair, whom she was sure could win prizes for Tortall should sleeping ever become a competition.

He eventually sat up; startled out of his sleep by Daine's prodding and for a moment seemed unaware of his surroundings. Daine stopped a laugh from erupting; Numair looked almost comical. She realised he must have been in such a deep sleep that he was now having to adjust back to reality.

He turned at looked at her, lying back down and flaying one arm across her, his fingers gently caressing the top of her arm.

"Sleep well, Magelet?" He murmured, his fingers travelling towards a different destination.

"Hmmm," Daine voiced appreciatively. "The maid left us a present of a purple candle outside our door," she told him not really aware of what she was saying.

"She seemed to like you," Numair said, smiling. Daine just smiled back.

--------------------

They eventually got up and went downstairs to a large room with a low ceiling. Beams of wood grew up the walls and across the ceiling, causing Numair to bow his head whenever he went under one. A shrine had been created at one side of the room, simply but effectively done. It was a table draped with a green cloth, four candles, one at each corner of the table were placed and a mild jasmine incense had been lit, although its sent was slightly overcome by the smell of breakfast.

Daine had no doubt that it had been Heleani who had arranged the alter, and marvelled at how early she must have arisen to decorate it. There was also a priapic wand laid on the table and several pots of seeds. Numair took hold of Daine's hand and they walked over to it. A small, chalk circle had already been drawn around the alter, and Daine would have thought that a full ceremony had taken place there at sunrise.

Numair picked four of the small candles left under the table and placed one next to each of the corner candles. He lit the one placed at the north end of the table. Speaking quietly, so not to draw attention from the few people who were eating their breakfast, he began the old words that Daine heard most Ostara mornings.

"Elements of the north, of the fine earth and rich soil, bless us with your gifts," he then lit the candle he'd placed at the east of the table. "Elements of the east, of the sweet wind and gentle rain, bless us with you gifts."

He then passed a match to Daine, who accepted it and lit it, lighting the candle at the south of the table.

"Elements of the south," she began. "Of the warm sun and creation, bless us with your gifts." She lit the last candle, watching the gentle flame flicker as someone opened the door to outside, letting in a soft breeze. "Elements of the west, of the pure water and energy, bless us with your gifts."

Numair then took the priapic wand, which was a length of oak with an acorn attached to the top and tapped each of the pots of seeds three times. He then muttered a few more words, summoning the spirits of the seeds to grow and bear fruit, ending the short ritual with the words, "Blessed Be."

They then sat down at a table, one of the maids bringing over mugs of tea and fresh buns and preserves.

"It's ham an' eggs this morning, with it bein' Ostara," she told them. "We like to stick with tradition on days like these."

"Thank you," Numair said politely, taking one of the buns and beginning to spread it with the butter that had been put down for them. "Do you want to go to see Brokefang first?" He asked Daine. "We are up fairly early, so we'll have time before we have to go over to the castle. Maura will know by now where we are."

"Won't she be expecting us to be there soon?" Daine queried. "She would have thought that we'd have been there last night."

Numair nodded. "I would imagine that she didn't really expect us so early. She requested that we come to help deal with this as her advisers couldn't explain what was happening to the water. She will know that we will have been way-laid finding more things out."

"I suppose I do have time to check on the pack. Will you come, or stay here?" She asked.

"I'll stay here. I want to go back to the stream where I took the sample from last night and see what I can do to improve the water quality," he explained.

Daine nodded, tucking in to the plate of ham and eggs that had been brought for her, although rather than touch the pork, a food that she was none too fond of, she discreetly flipped it onto Numair's plate when he was gazing out of the window, using a slight of hand trick that she had picked up from him.

A second or two later he admired his plate eagerly, there journey the previous day having not affected his appetite as much as usual. "Hag's Bones!" He called, a little too loudly. "Parlen's generous with his portions!"

Daine just smiled.

---------------------------

She set off on Cloud, cantering at full speed to reach the cave where the wolves were as soon as possible. She found Frostfur now up and about, the yellow look in her eye having diminished. The female fox didn't look at Daine as she approached the cave, pretending that she wasn't there. Daine was neither surprised nor hurt by Frostfur's actions, only amused that none of the usual digs were made about her.

Brokefang and Russet came up to her immediately, licking her as they had done the night before. They were soon joined by the rest of the pack and Daine found that she had to shout quite loudly to get them to move back to be able to talk to them.

_Where are your mate and the dragon?_ Russet asked, giving Daine one last lick.

_Numair has gone to look more at the water. He thinks it's been polluted as the result of an experiment that's not been thought out right; and Kitten wasn't awake yet. Numair will take care of her, _Daine informed them. _Can I check on Frostfur again?_

Brokefang called his mate to the human he thought of as Pack. Frostfur came reluctantly, not wanting to be in debt to the woman again, but Daine looked firm. She needed to see if all of the poison had gone from the wolf's stomach, otherwise there would be every chance that the problem would flare up again and Daine wouldn't be around to help.

She put her hands on the wolf's belly as she had the night before, and drew on her magic to enter the wolf, checking for the liquid-like substance that had been there. She found a small amount, smaller than the bit she had left the night before and began to blast at it, shrinking it dramatically until there appeared to be nothing left.

She came away from the wolf, this time not exhausted or tired, just happy that Brokefang would not have to go through the pain of loosing another mate.

_It's all gone_, she announced. _Has anyone else_ _had any symptoms?_

_One of the pups has been sick in the night, _Frolic spoke up. _Snuffle was poorly, worse than he is usually when he eats plants he shouldn't._

_I'll look at him,_ Daine assured her, and the female wolf dragged her pup to her. Snuffle was reluctant to come. He hadn't met humans before and was a little overwhelmed by Daine. She touched him gently, sensing that he wasn't feeling too good still. Putting her hands on his stomach, she found the same mass as she had inside Frostfur. She blasted it without as much force this time, knowing that as he was young still he wouldn't have the same tolerance for her magic as Frostfur had.

Within a few minutes of her finishing he was back tumbling around with the other pups, pulling at tails with his baby teeth and snapping as they tried to tease him.

_What has he eaten?_ She asked Russet, knowing that the wolves had kept everyone from the water.

_It could have been anything. He will eat anything he comes across. I did see him near some reeds which he was chewing at,_ Russet told her.

Daine smiled. _It was probably those. They would have been near the water, so they've probably been troubled too by this poison. Don't worry, Numair will see to it that everything's put right._

_You have great confidence in your mate,_ Daine heard a familiar tone coming from the back of the cave, where she spotted Frostfur glaring at her. _I only hope he's as good as you say he is._

_Of course he is, _she heard Frostfur's mate. _He has already proven himself the last time he was here. We need them to help us._

_We never needed them before she interfered! _Frostfur called, as if Daine wasn't there. _What if this happens again and she and her mate aren't around to help?_

_Then we'll have to manage on our own. But Daine is pack and she will come to us to help, _Brokefang mediated. Frostfur realised that she had lost the argument and slunk off back to where two of the pups were sleeping, settling down beside them.

Daine wondered if she would always be able to come to their aid when they needed it. The last time she and Numair had been to Dunlath it was officially because they were looking for the lost rider group, that they eventually found had been disposed of by Tristan Staghorn. Daine didn't know if Jonathan would always let her come to the aid of her animal friends, particularly these who had been the only family she'd known after her own had been killed. She also knew that at some time in the future she and Numair would probably have pups of their own to take care of, which would cease some of her antics.

_I will come whenever I can, _she assured Brokefang, feeling guilty about her thoughts.

_I know you will always find some way to help us, _Brokefang replied quietly. _Although you will have young of your own to look after too, sometime soon._

_It won't be that soon! _Daine laughed as she passed on her thoughts to him. _I'm not much more than a pup myself._

Brokefang made a sound a little like laughter and Daine wondered how much he had picked up from her once more.

She left the pack sadly, wishing for more time to spend with them. Brokefang was growing older now, and Daine knew that a day would come when she would be told of his passing away, when Old White and Night Black decided. She raced quickly back to the small town and found Numair tacking up Spots and putting Kitten in her carry-bag.

"Any news on the water," she asked him, as he leant over and kissed her softly in greeting.

"It will take a few mages to stabilise the water, but it can be done. Tkaa is at the castle with Maura, so he may well be able to have a large input on this as well, but I think we will find our best help in the City of Gods," he explained. "I managed to correct the chemical levels in the stream where I got the water sample from, but that took a lot of my gift."

Daine nodded. "It seems to have affected some of the water plants too. One of the pups had eaten a reed and that caused the same thing to happen as with Frostfur."

"Then we will leave for the City of Gods in the morning. It's obviously affecting things quickly, so it needs to be dealt with quickly," Numair mounted Spots as ungracefully as always, but this time Daine did not laugh.

"How come you didn't go to the City of Gods?" She asked him, a worry niggling her.

"Carthak was much closer and had a greater reputation. However the City of Gods is still an outstanding place for mages to be trained," Numair replied.

Daine comfied herself on Cloud. Numair had packed up all of their things and had given payment and thanks to Master Parlan already, so they were all set to go to the castle. "Isn't it where Inar Hadernsra was trained?"

Numair nodded. "Most of the Scanran mages are trained either there or at their own university in Scanra. It's also where Thom, Alanna's brother was trained."

"Do you mind going there?" She asked, looking up at him with intense eyes.

Numair laughed. "Not really, it will give me a chance to show off. Some of the teachers will be desperate to test themselves against me, so I'll have to be at my best."

Daine smiled with relief, knowing that Numair quite enjoyed the opportunity to show off his skills.

They arrived at Dunlath to find Maura waiting for them at the castle gates. She waved madly at them, and Daine somehow managed to stop a groan from falling out of her mouth. She liked Maura well enough, but had found the girl a little trying at times.

"It's so good to see you both again," Maura called as the horses came to a stop. "I haven't had a letter from you in ages!" The young noble aimed the comment at Daine. Numair glanced at his lover with a small smile etched upon his face.

They left Cloud and Spots to be taken to the stables and fed by hostlers that Maura employed and followed the girl into the imposing building. Daine knew that Numair wanted to go and see the tree that had once been Tristan Staghorn and see what had happened to him; she also knew from Maura's letters that the girl was looking forward to making the Krashanky, decorated eggs that would be blessed and put in places of importance.

"How long can you stay for?" Maura asked hopefully.

"Probably only tonight," Numair replied, feeling rather guilty at the look of disappointment on her face. "We need to head to the City of Gods in the morning," Numair noticed Maura's guardian, Douglass of Veldine, approach them.

"That wouldn't have anything to do with the problems with the water, would it?" the elder man asked, overhearing what Numair was saying.

Numair nodded, "Very much, sir. I believe that the water is being affected by a spell that is meant to dispose of waste – the type of waste that cannot just be buried and will return to nature. I don't think that the mage in charge of it has realised the effect that it having on the local area. It's certainly not a deliberate attempt to upset things here," the mage assured, noticing the worried look on the man's face.

"But you will be able to spend today here and this evening?" Maura interrupted.

Daine nodded. "That's what we intend to do anyway and we would have stayed longer, but we do need to sort this problem with the water. Animals are being made sick with it."

Maura still looked disappointed. Daine quickly put her arm through the younger girls and began to lead her through the castle toward the suite of rooms that Maura tended to stick to using. She had told Daine all about them in her letter, to the extent that Daine knew exactly where to go.

"Show me the wooden eggs you have for the krashanky," Daine demanded, and was rewarded with a smile from the girl.

"They're in here," she replied, taking Daine into a large, study type room. A box full of egg sized, egg shaped wooden pieces lay on one of the tables. Next to it was a tub of natural red dye, that they would use to paint the eggs. Daine had not heard of krashanky before, it was a tradition that Maura's mother had written down at some point, and now Maura was trying to follow it.

"What exactly do we do?" Daine asked, knowing that Numair would be talking to Maura's guardian for some time.

"It's really simple actually," Maura smiled, glad to have someone other than her guardian for company. "We paint them red, let them dry – which should only take a few minutes – and then take them to the lake. We float them in the water, when they will travel upstream to the Blazhenni, the kindly ones, to let them know that the sun has returned. We are also meant to put them on the places where the bodies of people are lay, as a sign of rebirth."

"You've really been reading up on this, haven't you?" Daine grinned. "Numair will be impressed. When I mentioned krashanky to him he looked blank and quickly changed the subject!"

Maura laughed slightly. "There's not much else to do but read," she sighed. "I thought we could make pysanky too. We need melted wax to draw designs on the eggs and we mix that with some of the dyes. We put the wax and the dye in this," Maura produced a pen like instrument. "The handle is called a derzhal'tse and the nib is called a pysal'tse. We use this to make patterns on the egg and then once it's dry you can give them as presents. They are meant to be good for fertility if you know…"

"You really have looked into this," Daine interrupted, the same sixth sense that switched itself on when Numair was about to talk himself to death appeared to work on Maura too.

At that moment the mage and Sir Douglass appeared in the room, Numair looking curiously at the implements that Maura was holding.

"Did you make these yourself?" He asked her. She nodded shyly. She hadn't had chance to speak much to the mage and was a little in awe of him.

"They are very good; they must have taken you quite awhile," he said, taking one and admiring it.

"It gives me something to do," she replied in a timid voice. "Do you know what they are?"

Numair nodded, giving the parts the names that Daine knew that she would not be able to pronounce.

"I thought you didn't know anything about pysanky and krashanky? When I mentioned it to you, you looked all blank," she looked at her lover curiously.

"You should know by now, Veralidaine, that there is little that _I _do not know…" he began.

"You went and looked it up, didn't you?" She said, a teasing tone edging at her voice. Maura looked quite shocked at the way she had spoken to Numair. Daine spied her look and smiled.

Not quite sure what to say, their host began to explain the sleeping arrangements for the evening. Dunlath was a large castle, and as there were few people living there Maura had decided to use only a few of the rooms.

"Daine, I put you in a room with Kitten that's just down the corridor with Numair…" Maura ceased speaking noticing the look that passed between the mage and the young woman. "Sorry, does Kitten stay with Numair…"

Numair smiled amusedly. "Daine can explain, Maura, I'll just go and see how that tree's coming along that I planted last time I was here," he said and made a swift exit, Sir Douglass following him, seemingly wanting the story of the tree from the mage's mouth.

Daine sat down next to Maura who was looking slightly puzzled. Feeling a little sorry for the girl she put an arm round her shoulder. "You need to get Sir Douglass to bring you to court more; you're missing out on all the court gossip," she said, trying not to smile.

Maura looked up at her, still a little blankly, and squinted as if she was trying to see something that wasn't very clear.

"What does that have to do with where you and Numair sleep?" she asked.

Daine held the laugh that was desperate to erupt inside her. "Because Numair's not my teacher anymore."

Maura looked at Daine, her mouth now shaped into a perfect O as she seemed to realise what Daine was trying to say.

"He's a bit more than my teacher now," Daine made sure that Maura's thoughts were on the right lines.

"So I didn't need to have both rooms made up?" Maura asked, looking as if she had been told a very precious secret.

Daine shook her head and stood up, going over to where the wooden eggs lay for the pysanky and krashanky, letting Maura digest what she had just been told.

-------------------------------

Even Numair joined in the egg decorating, painting his with different symbols that Daine recognised from some of the spell books that he had in his study. The pysanky were meant to be embellished with symbols for protection and fertility, amongst other things and Maura had brought an old book from the castle library so that she and Daine knew which symbols to design.

After about two hours they had painted a dozen and a half eggs between them, and dyed a handful with the red paint. Maura had put them in a tub to dry thinking that they would take ages before they could be handled, but Numair impressed her with a small spell to make the wax and paint set quickly. She looked at him in awe.

Rather shyly, she took a piece of paper from a pocket and began to read in a quiet, low voice.

"In the name of the Goddess of Spring,  
And the ever turning God of the Sun,  
By the power of the four elements --  
Earth, Air, Fire, and Water,  
I do consecrate these eggs."

Looking timidly at Daine and Numair, who smiled reassuringly at her she continued, becoming a little more confident with what she was saying.

"Now do they contain new life.  
In accordance with their signs,  
And with my will,  
So mote it be!"

Daine and Numair both solemnly repeated the last line and picked up some of the krashanky, letting Maura lead the way to the door from where they could throw their eggs to the Blazhenni, letting them know that the sun had returned.

As they threw the eggs, watching the waves of the lake bob the wooden eggs up and down, Daine kept noticing Maura first looking at her and then at Numair. The mage was oblivious to it, far more intent on the water in the lake and its condition, lowering himself down and scooping some water into a small pot he had brought with him.

"I'm going to go and test this water," Numair told them. "I believe you have a mage here also?" Maura nodded. "Then he might want to have a look too."

"He's really old and a bit deaf," Maura shouted after Numair as he entered the castle.

"He's too lost in that pot of water," Daine sighed. "When he gets in the library we shan't see him till he's fair hungry. And when he forgets to eat, I know he's becoming obsessed."

Maura giggled and looked a little embarrassed. "How come you didn't tell me in your letters that he's courting you?"

Daine looked a little red herself. "I thought you'd probably found out already, or guessed from what I'd said."

"You did write about him a lot, in fact, in one letter you sent ages ago, he was all you mentioned, even though you'd just returned from Carthak and had all that business with Ozorne," Maura said, obviously intrigued by Daine's love life. Daine blushed. "You weren't together then, were you?"

Daine shook her head. "We first kissed a few days after mid-summer's day, when we were in the divine realms. I moved into his rooms just after the autumn equinox," she explained.

"You liked him for a while before though, didn't you?" Maura said inquisitively. "When we were battling Tristan Staghorn and my sister you seemed to like him a lot. You used to look at him all the time, and you would seem really happy when you saw him."

Daine felt a little like she was being interrogated. She tried to remember that Maura was a lot younger than her, or well it seemed like a lot younger, and had no family and no friends of her own age to have discussions with about boys. Daine wondered if this was what it would have been like to have had a little sister. She swallowed her impatience and made herself feel calm.

"I didn't think I liked him like that then. Maybe I had started to, but I didn't know it. I knew I liked him a lot, and just as my teacher, when we were in Carthak and his old lover was there. I felt fair jealous then," she confessed. Maura's eyes lit up at the confidence.

"I always thought people fell in love as soon as they saw each other. I never realised that it could… grow," Maura stated thoughtfully.

Daine felt quite wise next to the young girl. She remembered thinking the same thing once. "You can fall in love with someone after you've known them years. The Lioness and her husband, Baron Cooper, didn't fall in love straight away. It happened as they got to know it other."

"What about the king and queen?" Maura asked and Daine worried if they were going to dissect the relationship between every one at court.

"I know that they both liked what they saw, but that doesn't mean they fell in love. It might've only taken a bit of talking to each other though," Daine answered.

Maura was silent for a moment. "Numair is really nice, although I'm a bit scared of him. He's so powerful and clever. Is that why you're in love with him?" Maura asked bluntly.

Daine laughed and shook her head. "I like all of him, even the bit that gets annoyed when an experiment doesn't work the way he wants it and that he cannot for the life of him manage to get his dirty socks in the laundry basket. The powerful mage bit is nice, but that's not all of him."

Maura smiled broadly at Daine. "You really love him don't you?"

Daine nodded. The simplicity of Maura's words was unlike anything she usually heard from her friends at the palace. She had a way of saying things exactly as they were, which was both refreshing and eye-opening. Daine watched the girl for a minute; she obviously wanted to say something, but not quite sure how to say it.

"Spit it out," Daine prompted. "I can tell you want to ask me something."

Maura twisted her mouth and looked a little bit red in the cheeks. "It's just… There's nobody here to talk to about things like this, and in two or three years I'll probably be married…"

Daine stopped herself from laughing. Sometimes, back in Snowsdale, young girls had come to her Ma with questions similar to what Daine knew was going to be asked by Maura. She tried to think as her Ma may have done, and sent a quick prayer to her, asking her for guidance.

"What do you want to know?" Daine asked.

"Does it hurt?" Maura said quietly, her cheeks now totally red.

"It depends," Daine replied. "It's different for different people. If you're relaxed and you're ready for it then maybe only a little. If you're all tense and worried and not enjoying yourself, then it would probably hurt more."

"Did it hurt you?" Now it was Daine's turn to go a deep shade of red.

"A bit, but it didn't hurt for long, a few seconds. And then it was quite nice," she replied honestly, smiling a little at the memories. "Maura, you need to get your guardian to bring you to court more, spend some time with girls your own age. Then you'll find out about things like this, and get all the gossip."

Maura smiled at Daine shyly. "I'm sorry for asking…"

"No, don't be," Daine interrupted shaking her head. "You need to be able to ask things like that more often, which is why you need to come to the palace."

They stood up; Maura linking her arm through Daine's and went back into the castle.

Numair was hovering near the door when they went through, and Daine hoped that he hadn't heard any of their conversation through the open window. However, he still seemed too engrossed in the water, nipping outside to get some more.

"How's it going?" Daine asked him as he absent-mindedly kissed her curls when he came back in.

"Surprisingly well so far. We seem to have come up with a way to purify the water, although it will take a few of us," he looked at the eggs in the corner of the room. "Do you know why we associate eggs with Ostara?"

Daine looked at him in amusement.

"Because it's a sign of new life?" Maura answered.

Numair nodded. "It is, but there are lots of sign of new life throughout the summer. When the vernal equinox occurs chickens receive twelve hours a day of natural light, this increases the hormone that it required for egg laying, hence it is the start of having lots of eggs at Ostara."

Daine glanced at Maura, sending her a look that sent the young girl into fits of giggles. Numair looked blankly at them and returned to whatever arcane spells he was digging out of the tomes he had discovered.

------------------------

That night as they lay in bed with Kitten snoozing in a cot that had been put up especially for her, Numair asked Daine what how she had explained their sleeping arrangements to Maura.

"I led her to realise that you weren't just my teacher anymore," she answered, her head tucked under his, feeling that the safest place in the world was anywhere with him.

"Are you still glad about that change?" He asked her, half seriously. He felt her warm breath on his neck as she laughed

"Yes," she replied. "Are you?"

"More than you could possibly know," he kissed the top of her head softly. "Now, sleep," he ordered. "We have to go to the City of Gods in the morning, and you'll most definitely need your strength."


	13. Ostara Part III

**Fidella: **Wow, I don't think I've ever had such compliments. Thank you, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story and the next one! **Fayrey: **I thought it's flowed better this one and it was easier to write. What are you writing, fanfic – or your own? I agree with what you said about the characters, I find I can't control what they do too much, otherwise they go wooden. I read something TP said about Alanna, that she originally had Alanna marry Jon, but the story struggled from there, as Alanna then couldn't do what she wanted, hence it was changed. The whole conversation with Maura in this wasn't planned, it just happened naturally. **Bitterosemary: **I was being lazy and not altering any of the original words, hence I left the 'Blessed be" in, I'll pay more attention in future. I am terrible at the moment – I haven't read back a single chapter of this yet, bar checking briefly before it goes up. I know when I start my own I'll be consumed by every word, but this is a bit like playing. They are all first drafts, pretty much, as I try to get them up quick. Thank you for what you said about Maura, I worried profusely about her. She was surprisingly easy to write, which was why I worried! I could almost hear her voice when I was typing, which makes me sound a little crazy! **Jade-Viper08: **Thank you. I think Maura is Daine's version of a little sister. **Ace Ryn Knight: **Thank you! blushes. I'm glad you like the fic, I hope it stays up high in your estimation! **Lime 63: **I can't believe how long my chapters have become! This fic is probably going to pass the 100,000 word mark which is scary! **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you! **Silverlake: **My fella does that. He seems to think that there is a faerie that picks up the socks that he has dropped next to the laundry basket, so he doesn't need to do the exertive task of lifting the lid and putting them in himself! Thank you for the review. **Goldeneyedwildmage: **Thank you. I had to get that egg laying fact in somewhere. I was telling Chris, my worse half, about it in the supermarket and he got that glazed look on his face and suddenly found the yoghurts very interesting. **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you, I was a bit worried about spoiling Maura as she is such a wonderful character, but I'm glad she worked! **Sonnet Lacewing: **Thank you as always! Your suggestion really worked, I only hope I am as much use to you! **Myrtle Riddle: **Thank you! **Dolphin Dreamer: **I just got your review as I was typing this! Just in time! I hope you're not too poorly and you get better soon! Dirty socks is a pet peeve, as they never end up in the laundry bin, I'm expected to pick them up and put them in, or they hide behind doors a lot… Grrrrrr! You notice lots of small things, which I love, cause it encourages me to add in more little things. Thank you as always, and I find hitting a computer hard is not conducive to getting it to work! **NealsChick: **It could have written much more grossier things! Thank you for your review! **Drop your Oboe: **No, the Parlan/Parlen thing was a mistake, thank you, I'll correct it when I edit. Please review again! **Aravilui: **Yes, Ostara is pretty much Easter, although it was there before Easter. The central themes of both are rebirth and many of the traditions we have now stem from the pagan festival. Thank you for your review!

**Disclaimer: **It's all TP's…

**Ostara Part III**

Chapter 3 – City of Gods

They left the castle early in the morning, just as the sun was beginning its wake up call. Daine could see the fresh dew on the grass and hear the birds chirping their morning chorus. The lapping of the lake and the promise of the bright sun and cloudless sky made Daine wish that they could have a day just to relax and lie lazily by the lake. Although she now lived with Numair she felt that she didn't have enough time just to spend with him, doing silly things like staying in bed all day, or taking a walk by a river and passing the time of day together; not having to worry about battle strategies or poisoned water, or even pages and their lectures. Jon had recently asked Daine to begin giving lectures on animal and immortals, a request that had made her nervous and apprehensive just at the thought. Numair had encouraged her so much with the idea that she had agreed, although he had promised to help her draw up plans for the lectures and give her tips on speaking clearly.

Maura had accompanied them up to the North Fort, and then had said her goodbyes, obviously sad to see them leave so soon. The breakfast they had had together had been a very joyful affair, with Maura finally losing her fear of Numair and finding that she was very good at teasing him, particularly early in the morning when he was not yet at his quickest.

Daine found that she was sorry to say goodbye to the girl, and hoped that she would come to the palace soon. She felt guilty, that she should have done more to include her in the past and let her know what was going on with the palace affairs, but she really had been busy. Still, she knew that if she spoke to Thayet it would be arranged for Maura to come to the palace for a holiday as soon as possible.

Daine glanced at the mountains around her, tall and imposing, some of then still capped with snow. She felt at ease among them, having the sense that they were like protective parents, watching over her. Shortly they would come to the northern pass and from then it would be a matter of an hour or so before they reach the famed city of learning.

It seemed to Daine to be a mysterious place, with little known about it. Harailt had been there to study, but even he was inebriated he said little about it. As they drew closer to the pass she could sense Numair tense up. Any little comments he may have made had been left unsaid, thus making Daine worry.

_He can take care of himself, _she heard Cloud say, realising her thoughts.

_I'm well aware of that, _Daine snapped. _But that doesn't stop me worrying._

_Then talk to him, _Cloud replied tartly. _If you don't ask you'll never know._

For a mad moment, Daine wondered if an old lady friend of Numair's was at the City of Gods and he was worried about them meeting. Then she reassured herself that Numair would have told her if it was that.

They stopped near water that was running down from the mountains. Numair tested it with his gift and declared it safe for the horses to drink. He and Daine sat on a large lump of rock and were silent for several moments.

"Numair," she began. "Something's fair bothering you, what is it?" She felt the mages arms circle her and saw him smile.

"I dislike coming here," he told her. "There's no other reason, truly, Daine. People can be very competitive about where they study. The people at the City of Gods know I went to the university at Carthak and that I'm a black robe mage, they will do their utmost to prove that I am no better than them."

"You usually don't fret about things like that," Daine looked at him thoughtfully, and then grew distracted slightly by Kitten trying to pull Cloud's tail.

Numair laughed at the sight as Cloud turned round sharply and fixed the young dragon with an almighty glare. "I don't want you to see me…" he said rather shyly.

Daine looked at him, her heart softening as she saw his tender side. He would always be her protector, that she knew, but she also understood that he needed her as much as she needed him. And now she saw his doubt. Most of the time, Numair was an imposing, confident and brilliant mage, an image that was partly true and partly there to deter enemies. But Numair was human and not infallible.

"They won't be able to prove that they are better than you, you know that, Numair. And we aren't going there for a fight, we're going there to let them know that they need to find another way to dispose of the waste from their spells," she edged closer to him, her hand going up to his chin, grazing her finger on the slight, rough stubble. "I will never see you as anything less that amazing," she whispered, his eyes gazing into hers. He leant forward and kissed her deeply, Daine let herself fall into the kiss, her face flushed and hot when they eventually came up for air.

Lamenting the fact that they could not simply sit there all day and bask in each others' company, they remounted their horses and began to head for the university. Numair seemed slightly cheered by Daine's reassurance, although he still wasn't his usual charm personified self. Numair had begun to settle in his life with Daine; he no longer needed to impress members of the opposite sex at court and woo them with his amazing abilities. He had found his true love and although he spent a great portion of every day still trying to impress her, his priorities had changed somewhat. Now his concerns were with providing a stable home for her and any future family that they might have, as well as consolidating his position within Jonathan's court.

The trip to the City of Gods was not something he wanted to take at present, although it had been something that he and Harailt had discussed undertaking in order to assess the royal university in Corus. There would be competition from the mages he would meet there today, particularly given that he was so well-known at present after the dealings with Ozorne and Inar Hadensra. However it would also be an opportunity to see the City of Gods without them having prepared for a visit, which he imagined would be very enlightening.

They approached the end of the pass, and began to descend down towards the famed academy. It was shrouded in a dense mist, its spires only just visible, peaking slightly above the cloud of magic. As they drew closer, and entered the mist the buildings became more apparent; the brick work glowed white in the light from the sun, the spire tips embellished in a dull, gold paint that reflected the glow. Several of the windows were elaborately stained; presenting images of the gods in their various forms, depicting events from their stories.

At the centre of the spires was a large dome roofed building, the top of which was decorated in a complex gilt design of entwined roses and leaves. For a second, Numair felt slightly overwhelmed by the building which stood alone, separated from anywhere else. He imagined it would have suited him well in his younger days, when he was far too engrossed in his books to care where he was in relation to other living beings, but since coming to Tortall he had developed skills other than the ones needed for his academic studies. He could never have imagined living with another person, until he and Daine had started to spend most of their time in his rooms. Now he couldn't imagine it any other way.

He glanced at her as they approached the entrance to the grand building, the area surrounding it surprisingly quiet, given that it was a beautifully sunny spring day. But then Numair knew mage tendencies well, and would imagine most of the students and teachers to be inside, researching and adapting spells and experiments, oblivious to the weather, whether it was pouring with torrential rain or the sun was burning the earth dry.

Numair banged loudly on the door, not expecting it to be locked, but refraining from entering it and barging his way in. He had no desire to make enemies of these people; he wasn't entirely sure how well they would react when he suggested that one of their mages was probably contaminating the water with a poorly thought out spell. However, it needed to be done

An elderly man came to the door and let them in, immediately recognising Numair, and obviously reaching a quick understanding that his companion was the wildmage.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Salmalin," the man greeted. "Please come in. I understand that you have not visited us for sometime?"

Numair nodded, surprised that his one prior visit there had been remembered, seeing as he had then been Arram Draper. It had been a fleeting glance at the building, rather than a visit, as Numair had merely gone there to return some tomes that had somehow found there way to the Carthaki library.

"I am sorry not to have made a trip here sooner. However, it is unfortunately business that brings us here and not pleasure," he said, feeling Daine's presence close by his side.

The elder man nodded. "I fear I have not yet introduced myself. I am Toren Mahonte, one of the Deans of the university. I don't usually open doors, but as you see," he gestured around the large, ornate entrance hall, "There was no one else available to assist, as many of the staff and students are in the dome for an attainment ceremony."

Numair nodded. "I understand. How come you aren't there yourself, sir?"

Toren laughed a little. "I have seen far too many of these ceremonies to wish wasting my time on another one. One blurs into another quite rapidly, and on such a day as this, I can think of many more things I would rather be doing, as I am sure, can you. So let us make haste to resolve your business."

Numair smiled at the mage, appreciating his humour. "I would be grateful for that, Master Mahonte."

He led them to a small room just off the main corridor, the door sporting an old, tarnished plaque engraved with his name. Numair had heard of Toren Mahonte before, he had actually studied some of his articles whilst at university himself and found them to be valuable tools. The man was no war mage. His primary interest was the use of gems in magic, particularly healing magic. He had remained at the university where he had studied all his life, and from what little Numair knew, had never married, or had children. He was a born academic, completely devoted to his subject and the teaching of it, and the very image of the future that Numair might have had, had he not fled Carthak to go to Tortall.

The room was a luxurious one, containing deeply padded chairs, covered in a soft velvet material that Thayet had used in the palace. Paintings by several artists that Numair had recognised hung from the walls, and a few pieces of expensive pottery were arranged on the shelves.

Toren beckoned for them to sit down around a small table. "What is the problem? I do wish it was something of a lighter nature that has drawn you here, Master Salmalin, but I can tell by your face that it is not."

Numair shook his head, wondering why the man had not yet formerly acknowledged Daine. He had nodded briefly to her in greeting, but had not addressed her, or even looked at her when he spoke. For a moment he felt slightly annoyed, and then curbed the feeling, understanding that he needed to rectify the problem, and not malign this man in his mind to make him an enemy.

"The lake at Dunlath and its river had become polluted with what seems to be magical wastage. As the river, which feeds the lake, finds its source here, and the level of magic being a high one, I have understood the basis of the pollutant to be from here. In my understanding, the magic is a by product of a spell to disperse the irrelevant magic after a spell. I doubt that it had been done on purpose, I simply wonder if someone has created this spell - ablutum quisquiliae – and not realised the effects of it. We have had several animals made unwell and as the lake is a source of water for many, I have come to ask you to look into its origins and to help in rebalancing the water," Numair saw the man looking a little worried as he ended his explanation.

"It is understandable why you have come then, Master Salmalin. Obviously, I am a little concerned by what you have told me. Perhaps we could take a walk to the river and examine a little of the water together. I do not doubt for a second that you are correct in your assumptions, but I doubt that any of our students would seek to use ablutum quisquiliae. It is a fairly advanced spell, and we do not currently have any young protégées as you were yourself," Toren looked to the woman stood next to Numair, the young dragon carried in her arms. "I am sorry, my lady. I am not used to dealing with beautiful young women such as yourself. I find myself flustering and becoming tongue tied. Please do not take it offensively."

"No offence taken, Master Mahonte," Daine said gently, smiling at the withered old man.

They left the dark, cool building for the outdoors, the bright sun dazzling them as they stepped outside. The river ran close to building and Numair suspected it probably ran underneath at some point as well, although he couldn't be certain as no maps had ever been made available of the area, such was the secrecy about the place. They stooped at a point where the river ran away from the university, thus any magic that had been allowed to seep into it would be apparent. The old mage squatted down and Numair watched as he used his gift to examine the water, knowing that he would also be able to sense the signature of the man who had created the spell.

He stood up after a few minutes, shaking his head. "You are right, of course. It is ablutum quisquiliae that has been used and the mage who I would have suspected of this is certainly the one who has performed it."

Numair nodded. "Can you help me to rectify it?" he inquired.

"Certainly. We cannot have mages poisoning water, unintentionally or not. The problem is though, that Esryn Dailin is almost senile, and either will not understand or care about the repercussions of his little experiment," Toren replied. "He will be up in his rooms now, as he very rarely goes out, such is his health."

"Is there any way to make sure that this doesn't happen again?" Numair asked, a little concerned.

"Oh, of course. He will do as he's told, very much as a child would. We'll send Cathemi to scold him, which will keep him out of mischief for awhile," Toren smiled at the pair as they walked back into the magnificent building and up a small flight of stairs.

Toren knocked heavily on the first wooden door that they came too. No plaque hung on this door, although there was a mark where one had once been.

"Esryn! Esryn!" Toren called. "You have guests! Let us in!"

"No!" The response came in a petulant voice.

"Esryn," Toren's voice was more persuasive. "Cathemi will have to be called…" The door automatically opened. A stooped man stood before them, his hair wiry and white and his skin crinkled and pale. He eyes were the brightest blue Daine had ever seen, still lively even though his face looked as if it had gone to sleep years before.

"Who are these people?" Esryn asked scornfully. "He shouldn't be here, but she can stay," he pointed to Daine. "She'd make a good wife for Esryn, hey? Esryn needs his bed warm at night."

"Excuse us," Toren nodded to his visitors and ushered Esryn back into his room, leaving Daine and Numair standing at the threshold.

"She's with the most powerful mage in the country. If you speak like that to his wife he'll probably blast you into smithereens, never mind what Cathemi will do when she hears what you've been saying!" They heard Toren rebuke. Numair grinned at Daine, having found the mage's words amusing.

"That's what you'll be like when you're that age!" Daine whispered. "Still making a play for all the pretty girls!"

"I won't need to, you'll be keeping my bed warm," he said softly.

Daine laughed quietly. "How do you know I won't have run off with some gallant, young rider?" Her eyes danced as she teased.

Numair gave her his most flirtatious smile. "Because even when I'm ninety I'll still have a bucket full of charm!"

The door swung open again and Toren encouraged them in. "It's all here," he said, and for a moment Numair wasn't sure what he was referring to. "The equipment he's been using for the wastage spell. Apparently he's been trying to drain off his power, thinking it will, er, rejuvenate him in certain ways!"

Numair's lips curled up into a smile as he realised what Toren was implying. They entered the rooms, which were untidy and strewn with papers and dirty washing. Anyone else, Numair knew, would have turned up their nose at the sight, but Daine merely ignored it, her eyes filled with sadness at the quality of Esryn's life.

Thankfully, they weren't invited to sit, just to briefly inspect the implements that Esryn had been using. Numair recognised some of the liquid magic that was in one of the containers as being the same as the solution he had found in the water at Dunlath.

"Esryn won't be trying it again," Toren assured. "All that leaves now is to rectify what had been done. What do you suggest, Master Salmalin?"

"There is a withdrawing spell that could be tried. It is a word of power, though, so will possibly have implications elsewhere. If we can withdraw the magic he has infiltrated into the water and direct it into something else then that should solve the problem completely. However, we will need to use a word of power to redirect the magic," Numair offered.

Toren shook his head. "The word of power will be necessary, but it won't have any severe effects. We have a stone – the T'reaba – which will absorb the excess magic in the water, so no need to use trees. Of course, I would appreciate if you kept this to yourself, we don't particularly share this information."

"Which is why I haven't heard of it before. How has the T'reaba come into being?" Numair inquired as Toren led them back out of Esryn's rooms and down the stairs, this time going further down the corridors and out towards a courtyard.

"It was an old stone, which was once in a circle where people would gather to worship the sun god at certain times of the year, usually on the solstices. The other stones were damaged, one way or another, and this was the only one left. It's still in its original position; the City of Gods was built around it, as it was deemed to be the centre of power. The river runs close by, so we should be simply able to redirect it at the stone and it will be absorbed," Toren explained.

Numair nodded. "Given that the old mage appears powerful, I would suggest that it will need seven or eight of us to redirect the gift that we draw up."

"I would agree," Toren gestured for them to stop walking and sit near the rock. "I will fetch some of my colleagues and we will proceed."

Numair put an arm round Daine and pulled her close in. "I'm sorry, Magelet," he whispered. "He really isn't including you in this."

"But why should he? I'm not some black robe mage who other mages bend over backwards for. He hasn't told me to sit out and wait for you, so he doesn't mind me being here," she defended, Kitten quietly looking around her, taking in the surroundings.

Numair smiled at his lover. She never ceased to amaze him sometimes. Before he could show his appreciation any more, Toren reappeared from the central dome, accompanied by five other men. He introduced them to Numair and Daine, although he could not make eye contact with the young woman. Daine noticed that one or two of the mages seemed quite young, and almost in stupefied awe of Numair, bowing to him as they were introduced, much to Daine's amusement and Numair slight embarrassment.

She stood away, although Kitten went closer to Numair, fascinated by the proceedings, and listened as Numair began to speak in a language that she recognised as Old Thak. She saw the slight curve of the river that was visible as it flowed from under one of the buildings, through the courtyard and under another, and Numair's words began to conjure a long flash of blue light from the waters. She noticed briefly that they had an audience; several of whom she supposed were students had appeared and were now gazing at the mage incredulously.

She noticed the other mages speak a few words of Old Thak in tandem and prepared to watch the blue light be directed towards the T'reaba. Instead she heard a loud, ear piercing whistle appear from the small dragon stood beside Numair and saw the excess gift run straight into the tall stone before it could even get close to the line of mages.

Smiling, she saw the look of shock etched upon the faces of those present as the remainder of the light was sealed into the T'reaba. Numair said a final few words in the strange language, followed by a cry from Toren, which caused the stone to glow a bright yellow. She saw the look on Numair's face relax as he picked up the small dragon, talking to her furiously.

Daine stepped over to them, wondering why he was berating her so. "She helped, didn't she?"

Numair nodded. "Obviously she has picked up your impetuousness," he said, his eyes smiling, although his tone was severe. "She could have been really hurt with all that power streaming like that. However, I'm not entirely sure that the gifts of the other mages would have been strong enough to do what she did." This last comment was said quietly, so no one from the City of Gods could overhear.

"I think you are about to be mobbed," Daine said with a smile, as Toren approached them with a group of older men and women, one of whom looked to be Cathemi, given that she appeared scarier than Alanna on a bad day.

A barrage of questions was sent, this time to both Daine and Numair, about themselves and the capabilities of their gifts, but mainly about Kitten and how she had become to be so strong. They were eventually led into a rather large, elaborate room, where they were provided with simple, but tasty food. The questioning seemed to last for longer than Daine would have liked, however the people there were pleasant enough and certainly welcoming, nothing like she knew Numair had feared them to be.

At one point, Daine found herself in conversation with Cathemi, a formidable mage who was in charge of training healers, particularly in battle situations. Daine knew that her Ma's rule of always doing as the healer says would go double for this woman, such was her authority. However, she managed to find the courage to ask her a question concerning the old man who had caused all the trouble in the first place.

"Esryn – his rooms are in a fair mess," she said to the older lady. "Can he not be housed in your infirmary somewhere, so that more of an eye could be kept on him?"

Cathemi looked at her as if she had just begun to speak in a strange language that couldn't be understood.

"He seems like he can't really look after himself," she added bluntly.

"He can't. I have only just returned from spending two months on a trip with some of the younger mages, and I noticed his condition has deteriorated. I suppose I should have an attempt at persuading him to move nearer to the healers," she said wistfully.

Daine nodded. "He seems to want to do as you say."

Cathemi laughed. "He's a little scared of me, although he is also frightened of Toren. We are the only two who dare to boss him about. He was once a black robe mage, and is still held in high regard here, although the rest of the world has forgotten him. Unlike your man over there," she pointed to Numair who was busy lecturing a group of students on some esoteric incantation, "He will be remembered in history."

Daine smiled proudly. "What is Esryn's last name?" She asked, wanting to mention it to Numair later.

"Larensri," Cathemi answered. "Esryn Larensri."

-------------------------------

It was only an hour from dusk when the left the City of Gods to make their way back to Dunlath, having assured Maura that they would stay with her rather than take rooms at Master Parlen's again. Daine mentioned to Numair the surname of the senile mage and the request she had made for him to be looked after a little more carefully.

"Esryn Larensri," he repeated under his breath. "He was a great war mage at one point, until his wife was killed in revenge by the son of someone he'd slain in battle. This was during a war over seventy years ago with Scanra. There are several legends about him…"

She let him carry on and talk himself out, though only half listening to what he was actually saying. Kitten was asleep in the carry bag next to her, exhausted after her display of magic and all the attention she had received afterwards. Daine smiled. Numair had enjoyed himself thoroughly that afternoon, and had arranged for Toren at least to visit the university at Corus and lecture dome of the students there. There had been little challenging of her lover; for the majority of the time there had just been requests for him to demonstrate the rarer forms of magic that he could perform, although a few of the showier young men had attempted to out do him, much to his amusement.

They reached the castle in good time, and dismounted the horses, leading them for the last few minutes to stretch their own legs.

Numair sighed and looked at Daine, his eyes filled with a mixture of tiredness and euphoria. "One day we'll have a quite sabbat with no excitement, or missions or people going missing in treacherous weather conditions."

Daine laughed. "I somehow doubt that will happen," she replied, picking up Kitten and straining to cradle her due to her recent growth.

Numair took the dragonet from Daine and held her easily in his strong arms. "It's Beltane next," he smiled. "Maybe we'll get a chance to relax then."

"We'll see," Daine said, wondering what else the gods could possible have in store for them, as they knocked on the castle door, hoping for a peaceful night for a change.

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_Now, you know what to do! Please review!_

_Beltane Part I will be up next, festival of fertility and general merriment and greenwood marriages… I need to research now, but reviews make me type quicker……_


	14. Beltane Part I

**Bitterosemary: **Thank you, I'm still not sure where the ideas of actually come from. It scares me sometimes, I worry that I'm only meant to have so many ideas and I'll use them up to quickly! **NealsChick: **Thank you. **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you., I hope you though Esryn was strange in a good way? **Aravilui: **Thank you, blushes. I was inspired to write fanfics by Sonnet Lacewing's stories, so I'm glad I've got someone else having ago, and thank you for recommending me, that's a huge compliment. I hope your friends liked them! **Jess: **As I said, I'll jump a few years between Lughnasadh and Mabon. I'm trying to stick a little to cannon with regards to DN's relationship, that's why I'm not marrying them as they're still unmarried until Daine's about 25, I think. **Drop Your Oboe: **Thank you – I hope Beltane lives up to your expectations. **Lime 63: **Thank you! **Dolphin Dreamer: **I've tried to get a bit more of Numair's thought in here, see what you think. Thank you for your review as normal! **Kelsey: **I typed almost 3000 words in two hours when I finished this chapter! Hope that was quick enough. **JadeViper08: **I've made a reference to Daine's conception – it would be her 18th, as she's just had her 17th birthday, and you're no more of a nerd than the rest of us! **Silverlake: **I would like to say that I made all the names up – some I did, other I dug around on the net for. Thank you. **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you. **Goldeneyedwildmage: **I think most of us have dreamed over Numy at some point, so you're not alone. Your review made me giggle, you have a very (good) funny way of getting things across, I like it! **Sonnet Lacewing: **I'm sure we could always invent a few more black robes from somewhere to play with! I could have done more with that story, it could have ended up several chapters long. Thank you, as always. **Feyrey: **Lots of fluff in this one! It had to be with it being Beltane. I've done some poetry to and stuck it on under the same penname as here. I wrote it eons ago, but am still quite proud of it. It meant a lot that you thought I'm at a level where I could send it off. I intend to do one more story after this, and then start my own, I'm already planning bits out. Please keep reviewing, you make some good points. This chapter is fluffy and hence had too much description in it! But I couldn't help it, it was fun.

**Thanks for all your reviews!**

**Disclaimer: **It all belongs to TP, as usual.

**Beltane Part I**

Chapter 1 – Evening

A fresh breeze blew gently through the trees, their branches dancing slightly, making the new leaves rustle. Already it was warm, although summer had not yet begun, and the gathering of merry makers who were dallying by the edge of forest wore clothes that helped to make the most of the cooling air. Wild flowers swayed gently, their heads peering over the lush grass as if they were watching the people as they milled around the field, laughter erupting almost continuously, punctuated by playful banter. The sun was beginning to set slowly, its rays spilling out colours of every hue of red, yellow and orange, creating a patchwork sky against which small fluffy white clouds were paused, the breeze not strong enough to help them hurry their journey.

It was May eve, the night before Beltane, and it seemed that most of the residents, at least the younger ones, were outside in the palace grounds, preparing for the celebrations, which would begin at dusk. Bale fires had been built; prepared from the wood of nine different trees. They would be lit shortly, and their flames would burn as strongly as the spirits of the revellers, long into the night and at full strength. Already ale and wine had been consumed, the merry atmosphere carried along by the sweet breeze, whispering to any wallflowers to join in. The evening would be filled with this ambience, as any cares were forgotten and fears left behind and the union of the Goddess and the young horned God was celebrated.

Daine stood a little way from the group that she was with, watching them intently. She had found many things since she had been living in Tortall; this was the place she had found friends and a family, work that she loved and a home that she'd never even thought she could have. Yet tonight, for her, was a night of contemplation. Beltane eve was the anniversary of when her Da had been moved enough to cross the boundary into the mortal realms and mate with her mother. She had been born nine months later, in Snowsdale, a place that lacked the acceptance of where she was now, naming her a bastard and shunning her and her mother, unless they needed something from them. In other places, the children born of Beltane eve and Greenwood marriages were considered to be children of the whole village and blessed by the Goddess; for her, that hadn't been so. It had been here in Tortall that she had found she was received and welcomed.

She watched the group of people, her family and friends, as they clustered around two heavy piles of wood, and her heart felt big and alive with the love she felt for them. Onua had her arms around the neck of her lover, gently being held in his arms as they shared words away from the rest of the pack. Her face was all smiles, even her eyes, which spoke the happiness she felt with him. Sarge, for all of his giant like size, held her like she was the most precious object on earth, his huge hands encircling her waist and his eyes heavy with feeling.

She saw Thayet being playfully provoked by Jonathan as he rather ungallantly dropped a handful of petals on top of hair, causing her to squeal and dash after him, intent on revenge. Although Daine had seen the formal, polite relationship that they had when other nobles were present, she never tired of seeing how a king and queen could be normal and show how unlike other state marriages, that theirs was one of love rather than convenience. She noticed how Thayet's face lit up when Jonathan pulled her close for a kiss and how his blue eyes, that had once made her go weak at the knees, twinkled at her reaction. They would have never noticed her watching them; they were too engrossed in each other to care about the rest of the world and its opinions. The night was for lovers and even the stars knew it.

Alanna was her usual active self, pacing round the bale fire, passing comments to the other people present. Her hair was still long, almost to her shoulders and her features appeared to have softened in honour of the evening, the normal intense look had been relaxed, her purple eyes reflecting the atmosphere of the occasion. Her husband watched her from a seated position, not tempted to join in his wife's examination of the fire, simply enjoying the view and relaxed blaze of the evening which was ebbing in. Daine watched as the Lioness went to her husband, his arms immediately opening to embrace her, them pulling her down into the grass, their laughter permeating the air. A call from someone calmed them, "Aren't you meant to be in the woods for that?" and they separated slightly. The night would be full of touches and glances; some would last for a year and a day as greenwood marriages, others would remain for longer, until they were separated by the hands of the Black God, and there would be others, like her parents, who would be tied only until sunrise.

For a few minutes she watched the others that she knew circulate, their words free and easy, and their manner light and casual. This year there was no fear resonating in the air, no threat of Ozorne or any strange immortals, and for Daine there was no worry of whom she would jump the embers with. Last year she had half pined for Numair, knowing that her feelings for him had grown into something more than a liking for the man who was her teacher and friend. Shortly after, she had found those feeling to be returned and they were now living together, lovers, accepted by their friends around them and their bond strengthened each day.

She watched him as he floated around the group, chatting to people as he passed them and exchanging smiles. She heard him goading Alanna, teasing her mercilessly about a fall she had had when she had been chasing after Alan, and ended up knocking a jug of blackberry wine over her. Even in the dim light she could see his eyes dancing, his mouth turned up in an amused smile. His thick, raven hair was loosely pulled back into a horse tail, banded by a thin strip of leather then Daine would stake would slacken and fall out by the time they got to their bed. His skin that had once seemed to have aged quickly had been rejuvenated by the peaceful months that they had had, and his thirty one years did not show. His voice echoed around her, making her heart pound and her eyelids feel heavy with desire. She fought the urge to go to him, to run into his arms and stick there, not wanting to appear too needy.

He seemed to realise she was watching him, and began to walk over to her, his long legs eating the ground between them quickly. He swept her close to him, a passion smouldering in his eyes that made her knees give a little and her hands itched to touch him. She remembered their first kiss, and how she had thought later, after several more kisses in less traumatic times, that she had never realised that their kisses would grow more intense. From what she had heard, the passion lessened after a while, and while Daine knew that their relationship was still in its infancy, she had become more enamoured with her man, her need for him growing each day, until sometimes she felt as if she would burst if she couldn't touch him or at least breathe the same air as him. She felt his lips hard against hers as he pressed down for a kiss. She felt the fire in him mingle with the blaze inside her chest and they burned together for awhile, oblivious to any one looking their way, although if they did it wouldn't particularly be noticed on a night like tonight.

"Are you going to come and join us?" Numair whispered to her when he had managed to tear himself away.

Daine nodded, her face feeling flush and hot from the heat of their kiss. "I don't suppose we could slip away now?" She asked, quietly murmuring the words.

Numair laughed. "Although no one would think badly of us, they would notice. We can slip away later, Magelet. It's tradition."

"That would give us a greenwood marriage," Daine smiled. "You have to promise to stay with me for a year and a day."

"You know I'd promise to stay with you a lot longer than that if you'd let me," he half joked.

Daine grinned. "Like I said, if you're very, very good!"

Numair kissed her again; a little more spark in his touch and his kiss became more demanding. Daine forgot the people around them and felt herself merge into him.

They broke apart when the calls of Thayet threatened to deafen them. Looking up, they saw Jonathan scrape two pieces of oak together, the tein eigin – the need-fire, until they were alight with flames. They made it quickly down to the bale fire, watching the king light both of the piles of wood, and then stand back and watch as the flames licked the air around them, burning up the fuel that they stemmed from. Tomorrow there would be ash left on the ground where the fires had been. It would be gathered and spread over the fields, encouraging fertility in the soil. Any woman wishing to bare a child would also gather the ashes and wear them in a small purse around her neck.

Daine noticed a trail of cattle being driven up toward the fires. It was tradition for some animals to be herded between two bale fires, for protection, healing and purification. The disgruntled animals would now be taken into the summer grazing fields, but for now they didn't understand why they were being made to walk at this time, when the sun was just about to disappear for the night. Daine sent them images of fresh green pastures and felt them pacify slightly. The herd moved through, leaving the fires consuming the wood rapidly.

"This time you will be jumping those embers without me forcing you to," Thayet said to Daine. "Last year I had to practically push you and Numair over them."

"We weren't together then, though," Daine replied, recalling the day.

"No, I know. I was wondering how long it would take you before you actually realised you both felt the same," she smiled at the younger woman.

Daine laughed. "Sometimes I wish we had realised it sooner, then I wonder whether it would have turned out the same as it has. I think we found out each other's feeling at the right time."

Thayet nodded, smiling still. "Any longer and Numair would have gone insane with frustration. He appears to have grown younger rather than older since you moved in with him."

Daine looked toward her lover; he stood with Jonathan, George and Harailt, the four of them gazing up at the night sky, pointing out the various constellations that were appearing. Daine saw Thayet roll her eyes at the men. "Isn't it supposed to be us who sit stargazing?" She said in amusement.

"It should be, in theory. However, they are the one's usually sat there looking pretty, while we maintain the success of the country," Alanna appeared behind them.

Thayet nodded. "I wish Jon would realise that sometimes." She looked slightly melancholic for a short moment, but before Daine could inquire as to what the matter was George had appeared at Alanna's side, forcing her to look up at the night sky.

"There's the Cat," she followed his gaze, smiling at memories that Daine knew a little about. She spotted George's hand go around Alanna's waist and him lean in close and whisper something to her. Then she felt an arm sneak around her.

"Jon and Thayet are going to jump the embers," she heard Numair whisper into her ear. "We'll be expected to as well."

She nodded, glancing to look up at the tall man. "We did last year, don't you remember?"

Numair laughed quietly, just so Daine could hear. "I couldn't forget. All I could think about that night was you, and how you might end up doing it with some other man."

Daine turned and nuzzled her nose into the gap of his shirt, knowing the effect that the simple action had on him. "I was wondering if you would find some fair lady to escort into the woods," she said, aware of his racing heart.

"I think I was wondering about what it would be like to take a walk in the woods with you, and bring in the may," he confessed, making Daine smile.

"It always amazes me that you felt that way about me back then and I didn't know," she said quietly, half watching the fire being reduced to embers. The other would be kept burning until the morning so that the couples who wanted to see in the may could collect a flame from the fire to light their own hearth on the way back.

"You must have had an inkling of how I felt about you," Numair stated. "I think I was quite obvious sometimes. Most other people seemed to be aware of something being between us."

"Well did you know of my feelings?" Daine demanded playfully. "I was too wrapped up in thinking that someone like you would never fall in love with a village girl from Snowsdale."

Numair tweaked her nose. "I thought that you'd never want an old man like me, who spends most of his life wrapped up in arcane books trying to comprehend the meaning of things that would only apply to a handful of people."

Daine stood on her tiptoes and kissed him softly on his lips, ignoring the calls from George to gather round the dying fire. "I think, Master Mage," she said when she pulled away from him. "That we should stop thinking about reasons why we shouldn't have loved one another, and go and see Thayet singe her clothes."

Numair grinned, still holding onto her, not wanting to let go in case she turned out to be some wonderful dream. With his arm wrapped around her small waist, they strolled the few steps to the vanishing bale fire, standing near to Onua and Sarge, who were also paying far more attention to each other than the proceedings around them.

It was an informal affair. Few of the elder members of court had come, so the banter between the adults was rife. A few of Corus' citizens had been formally invited to attend, such as one or two friends of George's who had been highly useful in the past year or so and a handful of the traders whose goods were used by the king and queen.

They were on the top of a slight hill, the north of which led gently down into forestry. All around him, Numair could see that the fields were alight with bale fires; some would not be put out and jumped until closer till midnight and already he could spy couples wandering into the dense woods, to 'see in the may.' The following morning would find couples wandering back from the woods and the fields, their hands full of flowers and sprigs of Hawthorne, which they would they deliver to the houses of friends and relatives on their way back to bed.

He imagined that he and Daine would also enact the ritual of spending the night making love in the woods, supposedly in honour of the union between the Great Mother Goddess and the young horned god. It was also the night of the year when custom allowed people to be rid of their wedding rings and spend the night as they would if they were single, although he didn't know anyone this year who would be doing that, although he knew it would be fairly common in the smaller villages. He glanced at Daine and knew that even if he was lucky enough for her to one day accept one of his many proposals, then he would never dream of ridding himself of the band that tied them, even for one night.

They watched as the queen and king linked hands and jumped the embers, laughing slightly as Jonathan mockingly gathered Thayet's light skirt with the hand that held hers. His robes had one year caught flame as they had jumped the smoking wood, a story that had now gone down as legend. He saw George take hold of Alanna's hand, watching as she gathered up her skirts rather elegantly. She took pleasure on wearing more feminine clothes when she had the chance, having spent most of her life in breeches and a shirt. A cheer went up as Alanna screeched "For Tortall!" at the top of her voice, managing to make herself heard over all the noise around them. Numair was sure that George was probably wishing for more little ones, knowing that he missed having small children about Pirate's Swoop, and would dearly like to add to their family.

Numair's eyes widened as he spotted the next couple, Raoul and Buri. Both were single, although there was always a rumour that connected them with somebody. He saw them grip hands and jump rather athletically over the dying fire, Buri yelling something about protection that he didn't quite catch as Thayet was now ordering in his ear to take Daine and jump next.

He looked at her, his heart swelling a little with pride and affection as they went to the front of the crowd, a cheer going up when people noticed who was up next. As a fairly new couple, it was their first Beltane, there had been many words jested about their upcoming night in the woods, and the passion that they should be sharing in bed. It was all taken in good spirits though, and Daine had been less embarrassed than Numair at some of the rather more jocular remarks made by members of the own, who had been given leave to attend by Raoul, one or two of them bringing girls from the nearby villages, checking that pregnancy charms were firmly tied around their necks.

The fire cleared, Numair pulled Daine close to him, certain that the attention was now focused on Onua and Sarge who were next to cross the embers and were receiving far more comments than he and Daine had due to Sarge's standing with members of the Own and Rider groups.

"We can probably slip off now," he whispered to Daine, his hand reaching up to caress her hair. "I've seen that Alanna and George have already disappeared, and I doubt they've gone to check on the children, seeing that Maud is there."

Daine put her hands around his neck. "I'm surprised that she was so willing to handle Kitten as well, else we would have had company in these woods!" She said to the mage.

Numair found his hands starting to wander, needing to make contact with her. The night was always saturated with desire and he was being drawn into it fast, feeling that his need for her was greater than it had ever been. Silently, they turned and began to make their way into the dense forest that stretched around for several miles. Daine knew the woods well and he knew that she would lead them to a spot where they would be undisturbed by any other courting couples, and could see in the may in peace, with just each other present.

He found he had to stop every few steps and uptake a closer touch, needing to feel her body next to his. He could sense the fervour growing in her, her responses becoming hungrier and her hands causing him to take some sharp breaths to steady himself. He knew that his lips would be bruised in the morning; such was the fury of their kisses and doubted that they would make it much further down the path. He felt her wrap a leg around his; still standing, it drew her hips closer. He broke away from her, looking for a bed of moss, or somewhere free from anything that would cause discomfort.

Looking up, he saw antlers and at first was unconcerned until he realised a split second later that they were attached to a man. He felt Daine move against him, oblivious to what he had just noticed.

"Numair…" she cooed his name, her hands unbuttoning his shirt. She looked up at him when she found him unresponsive, and noticed the expression on his face. She turned round in his arms and looked towards her parents who were now only several footsteps away.

He expected her to leave him and rush towards them, for she very rarely saw them, and had not expected to this sabbat as Sarra had claimed that they were needed to act in their roles for the night. Numair had expected Sarra to be busy heeding calls from women who wanted to be with child and were having difficulties. However, it appeared that she had found the time, had not given them any warning and now Daine's father, who didn't particularly like him anyway had now caught him in an incredibly compromising position with his daughter. Numair felt his passion vacate his body rapidly, wondering if he was about to meet one of the hunt god's arrows.

Sarra was smiling as she reached them, her eyes twinkling at the situation she had caught them in. she reached for her daughter and took her into a warm embrace. Daine parted from him, and Numair knew that although she was pleased to see her parents, it had disturbed her own fun.

"I'm sorry, sweet," Numair heard her say. "I know we were interrupting, but we managed to find a gap in time to come, and I wasn't able to let you know." Obviously the actions between him and Daine hadn't gone unnoticed. He offered his hand to Weiryn, who smiled at him, his eyes dancing at Numair's discomfort.

"It is a Beltane tradition," the god muttered quietly to him. "I suppose I would have been worried about your status as a man if you hadn't have brought my daughter out here on a night like this, although I am glad we weren't any later." Numair felt himself redden to the very tips of his ears, knowing that Weiryn had managed to bait him as well as showing his acceptance.

"I am sorry that you saw what you did, Weiryn. I wish you had been a few minutes earlier," Numair replied, knowing that his discomfort was evident in his voice.

Daine parted from her mother to greet her Da, although her welcome was not the rapturous one her Ma had received, it was only slightly less. She had confessed to Numair that she was unsure what to speak to her Da about when she saw him. She had only known of who he was for slightly less that a year; and Numair knew that she had many questions for him that would one day need addressing. But for now, she hugged him, then let go and returned to Numair's side.

They sat on two large tree trunks that had fallen closely facing each other. Sarra inquired after their health, and the well being of their friends whom she had met at Mabon last year. Weiryn stayed fairly quiet, mainly asking about the weapon maker they had been using to make bows, and how the hunt seasons had been. Numair found himself relaxing into the conversation. Sarra was good company, her manner easy going and playful. He had known for a while that she liked and approved of him, having told Daine as much when she had found herself back in the divine realms after killing Ozorne. As for Weiryn, this was the least hostile he had been toward him, which considering the position he had nearly found him in with his daughter was quite a feat.

"So, Numair," Weiryn said in his commanding voice. "Do you get to spend much time as you would like at your home?"

"We've been needed at the palace for many reasons recently," he replied, his voice at its most respectful. "So no, we've haven't been there much. We did find time to make it more homely, and move a few of Daine's belonging across, and buy new essentials, so she can travel light when we go there. Hopefully we'll make a trip there soon, possibly for Midsummer. You would be very welcome to come to us there." Numair offered.

"Thank you," Weiryn nodded his head at the mage. "That's a kind offer to give to the parents of your lover. We will not know until nearly to the date if we can, but we will certainly give you more notice next time." He stood up and sighed. "I would like a longer amount of time to spend getting to know my daughter; however that will not happen unless you are both granted leave to come to our home." He eyed Numair sharply and Numair knew that he was thinking of Daine's choice to return here to him, and not live with her parents as a demi-goddess. For a second he felt a wave of guilt drown him, but recalled that it had been Daine's decision and even Sarra had admitted that that her daughter would have been unhappy in the divine realms.

"Maybe that will be able to occur at some point soon," Numair hoped that Weiryn would sense his sincerity.

The god nodded, his antlers moving with the gesture. "Maybe. I hope you noticed that you were included in that too. I am well aware that Veralidaine would not leave you for any length of time," he answered. Numair wondered whether he was trying to turn a compliment he had paid.

"He means that we would like to get to know you better as well," Sarra interjected, finishing her conversation with Daine, in which Numair had over heard the words 'pregnancy charm,' 'monthly' and 'breasts' mentioned, which had sent him into an inward fluster, wondering what they could possibly be talking about to be mentioning such things.

"It would be an honour to return to the divine realms, and of course, become further acquainted," Numair answered, keeping his thoughts under control. He remembered to birds and animals that they had seen there and felt the urge to find some old spell that could transport them there so he could explore the wondrous environment there.

"Hopefully it will one day happen. The gods were pleased with what Daine did with regards to Uusoae, they may well rescind their exile on her from our home," Weiryn sighed. "We must return," he said, looking at Sarra. "And leave these two to continue celebrating Beltane in the way that we once did."

Sarra nodded, embracing Daine one last time and them gripping Numair also. "Take care of her," she told him, moving away and allowing Weiryn to kiss his daughter and shake Numair's hand. The look in his eye as he did so was one of clear amusement, and Numair wondered if he had passed whatever secret tests Weiryn had put him through.

"I hope to see you soon," he said to the god, and then held Daine close to him as they watched them wander back into the woods, Sarra turning back to wave goodbye one last time, her eyes shining with tears held back from having to leave her daughter again.

They sat back down on one of the tree trunks, silent for awhile, simple regarding each other closely. Daine put her hand up and touched Numair's cheek, her fingers gliding down over the slight black stubble that grew too quickly for the mage's liking. She moved closer to him and he felt her lips return to his, his fire quickly reignited. This time the passion seemed fuelled by a different source, it lingering and going on a slow burn, simmering as their fingers rediscovered the places that made the other one purr. Words weren't necessary; they had other ways of communicating, and after what seemed like a length of time painful with anticipation Numair found that Daine had removed his shirt and bare skin was now exposed to the warm night. They had moved onto a patch of soft grass, an opening between the ceilings of trees above them, through which he could see the stars hanging and the moon lending its haunting glow to the atmosphere.

There love making was slow; the unexpected visitors seemingly causing the flame between them to glow for a little longer. Numair felt that Daine seemed determined to drag out the little teasing touches so that he was agonised with anticipation, bringing him to a crescendo which almost made him unsure with its intensity.

Afterwards, as they lay there, hidden from the path and prying eyes, the hints of the morning sun beginning touch the sky, they heard a familiar voice and the sound of hurried running. He looked at Daine, her eyes reflecting her contentment, and she drew up slightly, looking through the rhododendrons that were giving them their privacy. Numair followed her gaze and saw Thayet as she paused, her chest heaving with exertion and tears spilling over her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," they heard her cry back from where she had ran. "We should talk this through." And answer came, muffled by distance so it was unintelligible. Thayet seemed to sob harder at this, and Daine began to reach for her clothes, wanting to go to her friend. Numair put a hand to her shoulder and stopped her, shaking his head slightly.

After she had gone, Daine looked at him, her body still pressed against his. "Why did you stop me from going?" She asked softly.

"That wasn't for us to see," he replied. "I assume she was fighting with Jonathan, although I have never known it happen before. If it's more than a lovers' tiff then they will confide in us when they want to." Daine nodded, knowing that men worked in completely different ways from women. She would seek Thayet out later and make sure that nothing was amiss.

The sun continued to rise, the sky brightened by its glow, as the dawn introduced a new day.

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	15. Beltane Part II

**Aravilui: **Beltane seems to be everyone's favourite festival! I'm glad you liked the chapter. **Music Nerd: **I will try to incorporate more imagery in – you're right, certain scenes do need it. And it is Maude – I was too lazy to look it up! **Myrtle Riddle: **Thank you. **Bitterosemary: **Thank you. I wanted to try and capture the atmosphere. This second chapter is a little heavy, as is the beginning of the third, so I knew I would need something light to start with. **Feyrey: **You're forgiven for any spelling errors. I have a class of 30 7-9 years olds so I can deal with most spelling errors. You really need a day off! **Mage's Whisper: **I'm sorry you were late for work! I realise that my chapters are quite lengthy too. This fic is probably going to be 120,000 words plus! Keep reading! **Jadeviper08: **That scene stemmed from my experience, a sofa, old boyfriend, open staircase… **Neals Chick: **Here's the update! **Drop Your Oboe: **Thank you – what's your first favourite? **Dolphin Dreamer: **I wanted to make them seem like animals as they're Daine pack! As usual you pick up on all the little things, thank you! **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you! You'll find out Thayet's problem here. **Jess: **Thank you! Be prepared to stay on the edge of your seat! **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you. I like writing fluff! **Sonnet Lacewing: **I have to say that you keep me on the edge of my seat wanting more with your chapters, so consider it REVENGE! **Aikia Riyen: **I'm fine, I hope you enjoyed your free Friday and it's good to know you've caught up! I'll fix the typo's one day…

**Thank you for your reviews, I've passed 200! You guys make me type quicker! **

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Tamora Pierce, however I take full responsibility for the typo's, of which I am queen. **

**Beltane Part II**

Chapter 2 – Daytime

Daine still held the image of Thayet's tears within her mind as she and Numair collected wild flowers to give to people as they passed their homes, which would most likely be those who lived in the palace. She laughed at Numair as he entangled himself in a bush, trying to reach for a pretty blue flower, which he was assuring her was muscari, before going into further detail about its preferred growing conditions and attractiveness to bees. Before he ran into full flow he had snagged his shirt on a thorn and ended up using his energy on trying to set himself free, while Daine looked on in amusement, much to Numair's growing wrath.

Other couples had begun the trail back to their abodes, walking along serenely in the early morning sunshine. Most would now return to their beds and sleep until late morning, trying to catch up on enough rest to enjoy the rest of the festival. Daine knew that Numair was planning a stop at the kitchens before they returned to their bed at the palace, and then they would sleep, before arising and joining in with the other traditional celebrations.

As they neared the palace, Daine saw the maypole being decorated with clusters of Hawthorne and fresh flowers that someone had just brought in from the fields. The air was filed with the sounds of laughter and chatter, a lighter atmosphere then the previous night, which had been drenched in a wantonness and apprehension that had felt strong and powerful, sweeping people away with its heavy desire. Now there was a playfulness and busy but relaxed feeling about the place, the few who were not suffering with last night's exertions helping to organise the day's events. Daine knew that there would be an archery competition that afternoon, one that she intended to enter and hopefully have a chance at winning. She knew that Numair would take the opportunity to repair the boundaries, but rather than just walking around them, he would study the palace wall with his gift, adding extra warding spells and asking the Goddess for protection. Then, that evening, there would be the feast, a more formal occasion than the previous night, when most of the residents of the palace would be gathered in the celebrations, and some nobles who were visiting also.

Numair swept a thick piece of wood from a nearby pile and went to the fire that had been left flaming. He lit the wood and held it at a distance, so not to burn himself.

"We should go and light the hearth with this before we find some breakfast," he said rather seriously.

"I don't think that cook would like us going into her kitchens with that anyway," Daine agreed, smiling at Numair's tone.

"You could always find someone to bring us some breakfast to our rooms," Numair said, as his most persuasively charming. "I'll go straight up with this, and why don't you see about finding a page or maid to bring us up some hot food."

Daine rolled her eyes to show her agreement, wondering how someone with such a large appetite managed to stay so toned, and left him to hunt out some breakfast.

On her way into the breakfast hall, which was rather emptier than usual given that most people were either asleep after the previous night's exploits or still making their way back, she passed Thayet, looking bleary eyed and utterly miserable. She didn't meet Daine's eyes, merely scuttling past and leaving the room quickly, keeping her head down. Daine spied Onua, for once on her own, a rarity these days, since she and Sarge were together whenever work made it possible, but then again, Daine supposed that she and Numair were the same.

She sat down next to the horse mistress, letting Numair wait awhile longer for his breakfast. Onua gave her a look that suggested that she knew what Daine was thinking.

"Did Thayet pass you in the forest last night?" She asked quietly, making sure that none of the few who were eating would over hear the conversation.

Daine nodded. "She seemed fair upset. Do you know what happened?"

Onua shook her head. "Her and Jon had started to walk toward the trees. They spend the night in the woods every year, it's a tradition that they have always kept. Sarge and I were slightly behind them, but intending to take a different route, obviously," Onua paused for a second. "They were in front of us by quite a bit, but the air was fairly still, and I just heard Jonathan something about Thayet needing to give him room to think, and then I heard her shout back, but I couldn't tell what she actually said."

Daine felt a little worried. She hadn't known the king and queen to have a quarrel before; they had always seemed so fixed and stable, that she doubted that they ever had. But she knew that the queen was stubborn and Jonathan could be very assured of himself and occasionally arrogant according to Alanna.

"We heard her apologising and saying that they should talk," Daine confessed, knowing Onua would tell this no further. "She seemed very upset."

Onua drank the rest of the orange juice and regarded the younger girl seriously. "I know I have no need to say it, but we should keep this to ourselves. I know that they must fight – everyone has arguments, we wouldn't be human or happy if we didn't – but I've never known Jonathan walk off like that."

"Any idea what it may have been about?" Daine asked with a worried curiosity.

Onua shrugged. "I know that Thayet mentioned that she wanted another baby. It may have stemmed from that. But that was awhile ago, so it could have been anything."

The two women looked serious as they stood, Onua to return her plates and Daine to seek out a plateful each for her and Numair. The pleasant smells had made her hungry now also.

"Are you going to say anything to her?" Daine asked Onua as they made their way to the serving hatch.

Onua shook her head. "No, and whatever you do, don't mention this to Alanna else she will end up castrating Jonathan, or something equally unpleasant. She regards her duty to serve him very seriously, but underneath all of that he and Thayet are her friends. She will get involved without thinking and that may do more harm than good."

"It still seems strange sometimes that she and Jon have a history, and that they still are the way they are," Daine said quietly.

"It was laid to rest a long time ago. But Alanna knows better than anyone that he can be arrogant and a little closed minded sometimes. She thought he and Thayet were suited because she had the born ability to stand up to him. If she thought he was being unreasonable, she would interfere, and like I said, I'm not sure if that will do any good," Onua replied, thanking the cook for her meal. "Anyway, chances are this will all pass over. It's Beltane, so they will both have many other things to think about, and they'll have to be the loving couple at tonight's ball, so I imagine it'll all be rectified by the end of the day."

"I hope so," Daine uttered. "Are you entering the archery competition?" She asked, changing the subject as she collected ham, eggs and fried bread and tomatoes for Numair, and everything else barring the ham for her.

"Is there any point if you're entering?" Onua asked wryly.

Daine laughed, holding both plates tightly. It would be quicker just to carry the food up herself rather than find someone to do it for her. Too many years of being waited on had left Numair incapable sometimes of doing the simplest things for himself. "You would give me a run for my money," she assured the horse mistress.

Onua laughed. "Maybe on a good day. But today I think I'll just be watching."

They parted and Onua made her way back to the rooms she shared with Sarge who was sleeping soundly in their bed and Daine quickly walked to her and Numair's home at the palace. The mage was lying stretched out in the bed, wearing just a loin cloth, his clothes from the previous night now piled next to the laundry basket. She briefly wondered if that would be what their first row would be about. He was half asleep, drowsily looking up at her as she entered the bed chamber, coming to at the smell of the food. He sat up and took the plate she offered him, smiling at the the contents of breakfast.

"You were awhile," he said as he began to slice the generous portion of ham.

"Onua was in the breakfast hall, so I spoke to her for awhile," she answered, passing him a cloth to wipe his chin. Numair's beautiful table manners were often lost when he was sleepy. He raised his eyebrows. "What about?"

"She heard Thayet and Jon's argument start, although she's no idea what it was about any more than we have," Daine replied, demolishing the fried bread.

Numair made a sound to say that he had heard what she had said but his mouth was too full to reply. When eventually he swallowed he looked up and regarded his lover, his eyes filled with softness as he spoke.

"I wonder what we'll argue about first." He asked her, echoing her thoughts.

Daine laughed, taking his empty plate and placing it on the dresser, and then clambered onto the bed next to him, pulling off her shirt and breeches.

"I think our first row will be about you needing training on how to put dirty clothes in the wash basket," she glared at the pile he had left.

Numair laughed lightly, his hands reaching for her.

"No!" Daine said, her manner playful. "Not until you put those clothes in the wash basket."

Numair huffed mockingly as he stood up and Daine watched his lithe body slink across the room and complete the task.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" She teased, her hands now reaching for him, wrapping herself around his chest.

He gave a slight laugh and then pulled her down onto the bed. "Is the door locked?" He muttered. "I would quite like to not be disturbed this time."

Daine sounded a reply, her attention elsewhere.

-------------------

Onua had felt quite perturbed by her conversation with Daine, so once she had found Sarge still asleep, she had left her rooms and gone to seek out Thayet, to find out if her friend was alright.

First she had gone to Thayet's rooms, imagining that she would have returned to them once she had left the breakfast hall. However, they were either empty or someone didn't want to answer. Onua had left with the assumption that Thayet would have gone to the stables, and would either be grooming her horse or out riding. She set off to the stables, walking quite quickly and bumping into Jonathan as she turned down the corridor.

"Have you seen Thayet?" She asked the dark haired, blue-eyed man.

"No, I haven't," his answer seemed a little short, or maybe she was just imagining things.

She reached the stables quickly, knowing the palace well-enough to be able to take short cuts that would have gotten anyone else lost. Creaking open the stable door, she saw the black mane of hair next to one of the horses, the owner of the hair grooming the horse steadily.

Onua crouched down next to the queen, knowing that Thayet was aware that she was there and wouldn't be startled. The black eyes met hers and Onua saw the pain that was in them, the depth of which she hadn't viewed before in the woman.

"Want to tell me what's going on?" She said simply in a soothing tone.

Thayet looked away, not wanting Onua to see the tears that had been easily called.

"Thayet," Onua put a gentle hand on her friend's arm. "Don't bottle this up. You know that this will go no further, and there is no one around to over hear. It's better out than in."

Thayet forced a weak smile and the tears that had been threatening began to pour down her cheeks silently.

Onua gave her a minute, letting the woman cry herself out. Eventually, Thayet pulled herself together, not wiping away the tears that stained her cheeks as it would upset her skin even more.

"Now look at me," she said, biting her lips together. "Jon would certainly have something to say if he saw me in a state like this a few hours before a ball."

Onua shook her head and gripped her friend's arm tightly. "What is going on?"

Thayet shook her head. "It's not a good story, Onua." She said, biting back more tears.

"You need to tell me anyway," Onua insisted. "I haven't seen you like this before."

"I fell pregnant a few weeks ago, you knew I wanted another child, but Jon wasn't so keen," Onua shook her head, the former information being new. "Well," Thayet continued, working hard to keep her sobs under control. "I lost the baby a fortnight ago. When Jon found out he… he didn't seem bothered at all. Last night I asked him about it; why he hadn't reacted as I had. He seemed numb, or just not concerned. I pushed him. I kept baiting him for an answer and eventually he said that he hadn't wanted another child, so he hadn't become attached like I had."

"That wasn't a nice thing to say, Thayet. Don't you just think that he's having trouble dealing with it himself?"

Thayet shrugged, two tears escaping and cascading down her face. "He was strange since I told him about the pregnancy. We had decided to have one last chance at trying for a baby, and he was a little reluctant. But when I found out that I was pregnant, he withdrew from me completely, wouldn't touch me, and barely spoke."

"He's not seemed like that when you've been with us," Onua said, not doubting what Thayet said, but stating what she had seen.

Thayet nodded her head. "He will be his normal self when we're in public," she explained. "And in front of the children, although I think that Kally is aware of what's been going on. But as soon as we're in private, he goes cold with me. And I really don't know what I've done," Thayet's words became immersed in sobs. "Now he's saying that maybe we should have separate rooms."

Onua pulled Thayet into a hug and held her while she cried, saying nothing, as at this moment words would have no effect on the abandonment that she was feeling. Onua knew that she feared for the very life of her marriage, for although she knew that Jonathan would never separate himself from his wife, he would distance himself from her if he felt that their relationship had died. Onua couldn't understand why Jonathan was acting like this. He had always openly adored his wife, and doted on their children. His behaviour was strange to say the least.

She let the woman cry some more and then moved her away slightly so that Thayet was forced to look at her. "You have to stop crying," Onua said, gently, but with enough firmness in her voice that Thayet obeyed. "You can't let other people see you like this; else they will know something is amiss."

"I know," Thayet said, her sobs subsiding. "I just don't want my marriage to end. I love Jon, like I never thought I could. Him acting like this is so painful." She bit her lip to stop the tears.

"Come back to my rooms. If Sarge is awake I'll boot him out. You can have a bath and wash your face and I'll see if I can find a discreet healer to soothe your eyes after all that crying. You shouldn't be on your own, and I need to keep away from Jonathan else I'll end up shaking him," Onua struggled to keep the annoyance from her voice as she said the king's name.

Thayet stood up, her face looking like she had lost everything that she had in the world. Quickly, they walked to Onua's home. Luck was on their side as they managed not to pass anyone else, disappearing into Onua's rooms unseen.

Sarge was awake and reading a book when they entered. He took one look at Thayet and stood up, striding to her in a couple of paces and putting an arm around her. "I'll leave you to it," he said. "I'm going to practice for the archery competition."

Onua looked at him puzzled, knowing that he wouldn't be entering the tournament. "George made some of that ale again and he's set the barrels up near where the archery is taking place," he explained.

"Is that wise? I would have though that someone would be liable to have themselves impaled if they were too close to the arrows?" Onua said, knowing the normal potency of George's home brew.

Sarge laughed, kissing the top of her head lightly and gently touching Thayet's shoulder before tactfully leaving the room.

Onua sorted a hot bath out for her friend, knowing that the tears would have made her weary and fraught, and that she needed to try and relax before the evening's formalities. She left Thayet to it, sitting down on a chair in the corner of the sitting room, half reading a book and half thinking about what had happened. It seemed clear that someone would need to speak to Jonathan. Although Onua was loath to interfere, she knew that his side needed to be sought; clearly he and Thayet were just going to tie themselves in knots if no body did say anything. She watched as Thayet came from the bath chamber, looking a little more like the queen of Tortall, and settled down on the bed, worn out with tears and emotions that she never thought she would have to deal with.

Onua watched her for a while as Thayet settled down, her head on the pillow. Thayet pulled a light blanket over her and closed her eyes, exhausted by the outpouring of feeling she had gone through. Onua wanted to find Numair and have him speak with Jon; find out what his side of the story was. Usually she would have gone to George, as the two men were quite close, but that would have meant Alanna finding out, and Onua, as she had said to Daine, didn't think that that was such a good idea. Numair was quite sensitive and a close friend of both the monarchs, and although he wasn't as experienced as George in dealing with issues like this, Onua knew that she should give him more credit than just being an academic with his nose stuck in a book. Since his relationship with Daine his ability to deal with people had improved.

But for now she didn't want to leave Thayet, knowing that her friend would want someone with her when she awoke, otherwise she would feel completely alone. Onua knew that waking up alone after years of having someone next to you was one of the hardest things when something went wrong with a relationship, even in a relationship that was not all it should be. And for Thayet after fifteen years of marriage, or so, it would be especially difficult to wake up uncertain about whether she would find herself in bed with her husband again.

Onua sighed, putting her book down. There was no use reading, she had too many thoughts bubbling round her mind. She gazed out of the window at the morning sunshine; she could see Sarge in the distance setting up the targets for the archery tournament and the maypole, now beautifully decorated with the flowers that had been brought by couples coming back from the words. More flowers would later be collected, as people went 'a-Maying', and took picnics out into the fields or back into the forest. Beltane was one of Onua's favourite festivals; although all of them in Tortall had been spent as a single woman, she had still enjoyed the hauntingly captivating atmosphere of the eve, and the relaxed, merry ambience of the day, when everyone seemed a little bit freer than usual. And this year she had Sarge. She looked at him again, noticing that he was laughing at something that George was doing, his tall, broad figure that trainees could find so intimidating, now open and welcoming – to her anyway; she still doubted that any of the trainees would ever see Sarge as anything more than the bane of their lives. Her eyes fell back to the queen, sleeping soundly on her bed. Onua figured that she probably had an hour or so in which to find Numair and a healer who could do something for her puffy eyes and reddened face. She stood up and quickly left the room.

----------------------------

Daine drew back the bow and prepared to aim at the target in front of her, all her attention focused on hitting the centre and putting the other man out of the competition. The crowd were bawdy with their support, encouragement arising for both her and Adsel, one of the Own who was known for his skill with a bow. Between them they had already seen off the rest of the competitors, and the tournament was now down to them. She drew back the bow and let the arrow fly, knowing that if she hit the centre of the distant target she would have won. It seemed to take an age before the arrow came to a halt, and than she heard the crowd shouting and felt Alanna's hands grab her shoulders. Daine grinned; that would teach Adsel from betting a large wager that he would win. She looked around for Numair and found him talking worriedly to Onua. He caught her eye and headed over to her, Onua scuttling back towards the palace entrance.

"I need to find Jon," he said in a low tone, above the noise of the crowd.

"Is this about Thayet?" Daine asked with the same level of quiet.

He nodded his response. "I will tell you later. Just try and make sure that no one else finds out about this." He kissed her, as he always did before he left, and then went towards the palace, knowing that Jon would likely be in his study seeing as he wasn't outside in the glorious May sunshine.

Daine watched him go, a look of apprehension on her face. She had persuaded herself that the row between Jon and Thayet had been simply caused by too much wine and wasn't anything to be concerned about, but given the look of worry on Numair's face it appeared otherwise. She felt a tug at her sleeve and saw Kitten looking up at her. She bent down and picked up the small dragon, who was pointing happily at the maypole, where some of the palace's residents, including Raoul, were readying themselves to dance round it.

"You want to watch?" Daine asked the dragonet. Kitten nodded and whistled a pleasing note. Daine carried her over to the crown that surrounded it, managing to find a space where she and the dragon could see.

The pole was made out of a fir tree, stripped bare of its branches. At the top a wreath had been placed that had been made that morning from some of the flowers gathered and brought back by the couples who had been seeing in the may. Eight long lengths of ribbon dropped from the top of the pole, each held by someone that Daine knew. The men each held a red ribbon, representing the sun god, the women all held a white one, representing the Goddess. Music was played by the usual group of men and women who would play at formal occasions, but this time the tune was jolly, keeping time for the people who danced round the maypole, the men weaving in and out of the women until the pole was completely wrapped in ribbons. Once the ribbons had been tied, the wreath was dropped, slipping down the may pole as a symbol of the Lord and Lady Greenwood – the Goddess and the sun god - and a large cheer went through the crowd before the people returned to their drink and conversations. Some stayed back; Eleni, Myles' wife and George's mother, began to say a few tradition words, blessing the maypole and the realm, asking for protection, fertility and healing. She had been out early that morning to consecrate the maypole as it had been erected, as well as having spent most of the night outside also. She now looked weary, and Daine imagined that she would shortly be returning to her rooms and catching up on sleep before the evening's formalities.

People were milling all over the place; children were chasing each other, playing games, listening to stories and generally being caught up in the magic of the day. Daine noticed George being swamped by his youngest two children, Alianne draping herself over him as if she had not seen him for a week. Daine saw that she was pointing her father in the direction of a stall selling sweet breads and laughed when George gave in without a struggle, buying a large cake for each of the twins.

Daine wound herself out of the crowd, heading toward an old bench that was vacant. Kitten had disappeared to find George, knowing that she was more likely to get a food treat from George than Daine, as Numair was nowhere around. Daine had no worries about Kitten wandering around the palace grounds on a day like today; the people around would keep an eye on her, and she would be happier playing with the children than sitting with Daine.

Everywhere bustled; stalls had been set up to sell food, wine and ale and some crafts as well. Groups of people stood talking to each other, their conversations loud and merry, gentle teasing and gossip being passed. Daine ached a little for Numair, wanting to be with him and share their first Beltane together, but she knew that this dispute between Thayet and Jon obviously needed some help in being smoothed over.

------------------

Numair found Jon in his study, as he had predicted, a pile of papers in front of him on his desk, and his head buried deep in them. Numair sat in the chair opposite and waited until the king gave him his full attention. Usually Jon would be outside, patrolling about the activities and joining in. Onua had highlighted Jon and Thayet's absence from the festivities, which was strange; in fact, in all the years he had been living in Tortall he had never known them miss events like these.

"Is everything all right outside?" Jonathan asked, barely looking up.

"It is, Jonathan, apart from the fact that neither you nor Thayet are gracing us with your presence," Numair replied clearly. Jonathan stayed silent.

"I'm going to check the boundaries of the palace grounds. Why don't you join me?" Numair offered, standing up abruptly.

Jonathan signed, putting down his pen. "You'll not let me rest until I do, will you?" He muttered, standing up also and following Numair out of the door.

They headed to the stables and tacked up and mounted their horses. No one was around; they were all in the fields, watching the end of the archery tournament and the dancing around the maypole that would follow. Numair wondered briefly how Daine had fared and wished that he could be with her now. However, from what Onua had said, this needed some help in being remedied. Jonathan was clearly in some pain, and Numair knew without having to think too much that it had something to do with last night. On horseback they began to head toward the perimeter of the palace grounds. This was a journey that Numair knew from experience would take at least two hours and he had planned on doing it with Daine, before heading off for a picnic with her in the woods. He knew she would understand, but he would have to find some way to make it up to her.

For a while they trotted in silence, Numair trying to enjoy the serenity of the day, but finding that his thoughts were consumed with the conversation that he was going to have to broach. He and Jon had been good friends since he had become known by the palace. Their relationship was built more on friendship than work and Numair had always found in the past that he could speak his mind with the king, on a personal as well as a professional level. He brought Spots to a halt and began to test the protective magical boundary that he had set up some time ago, shortly after Karrum Makheen's arrest, checking to see that no stronger magic had breeched it.

It was there merely to hinder any mage attacks that might occur. No ordinary person would notice; it didn't affect any animals or humans passing through, and no one would particularly perceive it unless they searched with a powerful gift. Numair said a few words in Old Thak and felt some of his gift leave him, strengthening the barrier.

He was aware of Jon watching him and saw the king reinforce some of the barrier with his own blue gift, almost marking his territory. Numair relaxed the spell and turn to Jonathan.

"Want to talk?" He asked, a little unsure of how to start this conversation.

Jonathan laughed wryly. "About Thayet?" The question didn't need answering.

"We saw her run past us in the forest last night," Numair explained. "She was upset."

Jonathan did not respond, he merely avoided eye contact with the mage.

"What's going on?" Numair said, an undemanding tone in his voice. He hadn't seen Jon like this before.

"I don't know," the king finally responded. "I don't know what's happened, as it's all happened so quickly. She said she wanted another baby. I didn't," Jonathan sighed. Numair realised how difficult the king was finding this, but that he also needed to speak about it. "We have five children and they're all growing up. The time will come when they have married and we can finally have some time together just us. It's never been that. We had Raoul nine months after we were married, then she fell pregnant with Kally almost immediately after. I love my children, Numair, but I want some time with my wife."

Numair looked at Jon's face, creased with an emotion that he hadn't seen before. He didn't say anything, not quite knowing what needed to be said.

"She makes me feel that I am not enough for her. She did fall pregnant and she was ecstatic. Then two weeks ago she miscarried. I felt it was my fault for not really wanting it, and Thayet kept crying and nothing I could do could make her feel any better, and to be fair I was too wrapped up in my own guilt to even offer to help her," Jonathan looked at the younger man, his eyes filled with pain.

"Last night we rowed about the whole thing. She said if she didn't know me so well she would assume I was bedding someone else and accused me of being cold over the loss of our baby. It ended when I told her that I thought we should have separate rooms," Jon confessed.

"That's like telling her your marriage is over," Numair said quietly. "But that's not what you want, is it?"

Jon shook his head. "No, but we seem to have talked and ignored ourselves into a place that we can't get out of. I am sorry she lost the child – our child. But I wish she just wanted me sometimes. It feels like she wants another baby so then it will never just be me and her."

"That's not the reason she wanted another child, you know that," Numair felt a little frustrated. Part of him couldn't wait for the day when Daine told him that she wanted to have his child. "You need to tell her how you feel, then she can reassure you and you can do the same by her. Onua found her in the stables this morning, completely devastated. Thayet's now asleep in Onua's rooms. She was shattered by what you said and couldn't understand why you had said it," Numair looked directly at the king.

"When do I speak with her? We have this ridiculously formal meal tonight, for which we need to look as if we are the same as usual when we're both enduring mental torture. I didn't mean this to happen, we just forgot…"

"To talk," Numair ended for him. "You can be late, or just not turn up. The palace nobles will be there in full force and they'll have Alanna to keep them occupied. You know how they like to disapprove. Find Thayet and sort things out first. That's far more important than some dinner."

Jon laughed slightly, nodding. "What do I say?"

"Can't you just put your arms around her to start with?" Numair offered, knowing that if Daine was upset that always seemed to help better than trying to come up with perfect solutions.

"That would be easy, as long as I wasn't scared she'll try and beat me to death," Jon said, almost humorously.

Numair laughed. "I think you will have to take that chance."

----------------------------------------------------------**_REVIEWS WELCOMED!--------------------------------------------------------_**


	16. Beltane Part III

**Mage's Whisper: **Thank you. I have been thinking about "Wicker Man" while I've been writing these stories. I may well watch it again when I've finished them – it's very interesting. **Aravilui: **Thank you! I'm glad it hit the right level drama wise. **Silverlake: **Thank you! **Jade-Viper08: **I like fluff far too much to leave her broken hearted! **Bitterosemary: **It's quite disturbing when you get to the point of liking a man's foibles. Particularly if he is just a character. But how amazing that so many of us still love Numair! He has his tip off in the next chapter! **Lady Tonks: **They may not have done. I figured that she wouldn't have worn a pregnancy charm on their honeymoon, and probably fell pregnant straight away, as Roald was born in the first year of their marriage. I played with the facts a little! **Goldeneyedwildmage: **I am honoured to have you bow! Can someone please kidnap me and take me somewhere nice? Preferably somewhere hot as it's snowing over here! **Music Nerd: **I apologise for the term. My music knowledge isn't up to much and I used the word a little too easily. Maura would now be about 13, but seeing as she is pretty much alone, I figured she would still act quite young – she's not had much reason to grow up quick. Thank you for all your reviews, btw! **Celuna Cirrus:** Don't worry, they won't divorce! **Animal Writer 01: **Thank you. I think that's how Numair and Jon would have talked! **Fidella: **Thank you. I read up on the using of the old yule tree and I probably meant to include it. Sometimes I note stuff down and end up forgetting to put it in! Thank you for the compliments! **Sonnet Lacewing:** I liked that line too. Sometimes men seem to think they have to solve everything when all we need is a good hug, as we are more than capable of solving it for ourselves. **Dolphin Dreamer: **An argument's a strong possibility, maybe not in this fic, but certainly in Stones (the next one). I can't help the humour. I love writing fanfics, its good practise for my own book, but I need to take the mickey out of myself sometimes for doing it, and that's the way it comes out. Weird I know! Thank you for your review, as always. **Drop Your Oboe: **A few weeks probably refers to around 7 or 8, then she lost the child two weeks ago. I kept it vague as I didn't think that Thayet would want to talk about it in too much detail.

**I apologise for the Roald/Raoul error, more than one person has mentioned it. I do proof read, but because I know what is coming next, some things escape me and I don't pick up. I will try to do better in future…. **

**Disclaimer - all characters belong to Tamora Pierce.**

**Beltane Part III**

Chapter 3 – Dusk

Sarge took Onua in his arms and simply held her as they looked toward the forest. The gathering of people had lessened as they went to their homes and rooms to ready themselves for the evening's celebrations. The forest was peacefully still, the air warm and the breeze slight enough to not even blow at the leaves. A field full of wild flowers separated them from the first of the trees, their heads standing still as if they were saluting the end of the day.

The bright light has dimmed along with the noise and only a few voices carried on the still air. Thayet had woken earlier; her first reaction had been to cry as she immediately remembered what had gone by. Onua knew that she was still grieving for her unborn child, and the one person who could help soothe her was conspicuous by his absence. Onua had comforted her some more, and Thayet had decided that she needed some time to not think and had headed for the field where some of the horses had been led to, intending to ride until the time when she had to face her husband and get ready for the feast.

Sarge had come back to his lover with open arms and no questions. He knew her well enough now to know that if she wanted to talk or some help or advice, she would ask, and otherwise she just needed to know that he was there and he cared. She knew that he would have worked out what had gone on with Thayet and Jonathan by now, and he didn't ask to be filled in, for which she was grateful. Then they had stepped outside and walked to the vast field, empty but for the flowers and animals that had gathered there and looked out into the distance.

She felt a comfort she had only recently come to know. In this man's hold she felt safe, that nothing bad could come to her. Just hearing him breathe gave her peace and she wondered why it had taken her years to notice.

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Thayet had ridden fast and far across the fields, her dark hair blown back by the breeze her movement created. The horse she rode was temperamental for most riders, but not for her, and he had served her well during this journey, strongly taking her across the palace grounds to the fields on the outskirts of the city.

Now they had paused, the sun lowering from the sky, streams of red, yellow and orange waving from the ball of fire. The sun seemed at its largest when it set, yet it cast little light. It was all burnt up for the day, which was remarkably similar to how Thayet felt, burnt up and empty. She felt as though she had lost something precious, more precious than the air around her. Losing her baby had been devastating, and she had needed Jon to be there. Yet his response had been to cover his eyes and pretend that nothing had happened, distancing himself from her so he didn't have to feel.

And now she felt that she had lost him, and for all that he had annoyed her and made her feel as if she needed to implode she still just wanted to be held close to him, and told everything would be alright.

She stayed for a while, watching the slowly setting sun. Dusk was always her favourite time of day, with its many faces. It could be the end of a long day, when people were finally relaxing and the earth was slowing down for its sleep; it could be the time before night when her adrenaline began to run fast around her veins in anticipation for what was about to come or like last summer, it was the time when she felt the red sky reflected the bloodshed on the ground. She remembered Daine telling her that the sky in the divine realms reflected the goings on in the mortal realms; sometimes she wondered if the sky above her reflected what was being felt in the hearts of the people below it. Tonight she questioned that, as what was above her was beautiful, the myriad of colours cascading across the vast expanse of sky, even the few clouds had been tainted with the shades of the coming night. Thayet felt far from beautiful. She felt that something inside her was eating her up. Sighing deeply, she gave the scene once last glance and then turned her horse and began to canter back to toward the palace, the feel of the cooling air on her face soothing her slightly. She had one more thing she wished to do before facing her husband, and for that she needed to be in the woods, where the Hawthorne trees were.

She slowed her horse as she reached the point, finding the largest of the trees that she knew grew in the forest. Leaving her mount in the knowledge that he wouldn't wander of she approached the tree with some reverence. Hawthorne trees were associated with faeries, particularly on this day of the year. This particular specimen sat in a clearing, its thick truck climbing high, and flowering branches spreading out overhead. Thayet stood near to the tree, closing her eyes softly and imagining its spirit. In some lore trees were believed to have magical properties, hence the tradition of wassailing the trees at Midwinter and thanking their spirits. She tied a piece of red cloth around on one of the low branches, red was associated with love and she needed some help form the faerie folk with regards to her love right now.

Taking deep breaths and desperately trying to stop herself from crying again she began to visualise the happy times that she and Jon had had; the first time she had met him, their wedding day, the birth of each of their children, the many, many times they had had with their friends, moments of lovemaking that seemed to have brought the rest of the world to a stand still, and time when it had just been them alone in a room with no need for anyone else. Then she forced herself to imagine a happy future for them and found that it wasn't that difficult for she wanted it so much. She chanted quietly what she wished for, that the differences between her and her husband would be resolved, still trying to visualise their making up in her mind.

Eventually, she ceased the chanting, bending down to the foot of the tree and leaving a gift of a small bottle of scent that she had asked Onua for before she had left the horse mistress' rooms. She sat down in a heap next to the tree and held her head in her hands. She didn't know how she would get through the rest of the night, having to put on a show for those present that she and Jonathan were as much in love as usual. She knew that she still loved him as much, else she was sure that she wouldn't feel as if someone had torn her heart from her chest.

She looked up at the sound of a noise; in the distance she saw a familiar figure, leaning next to a tree, watching her. She stood up at the sight of him and took a tentative step forward.

He came to her, for her it seemed like it took an age before he reached where she was standing and took her in his arms, her head buried in his chest as she sobbed half with relief into his shirt. She felt his arms tight around her and his nose nuzzle into her hair. For a second, she moved and looked up at him and saw that his eyes were filled with tears and then she realised that everything would sort itself out.

Jonathan found Numair's advice rather easier than he'd imagined to administer. She wanted him to hold her and he wondered if he'd done that two weeks ago whether everything would have been avoided. Or maybe this was something the Goddess had planned. He felt his heart expand with what he felt for her as the water in his eyes flooded over and trickled down onto her hair. Moving her so she could see him he looked at her, feeling as if he was drowning in the words he wanted to say.

"I'm sorry," he managed to muster. "I've been an idiot."

She regarded him with dark eyes. "Maybe we've both been idiots," she said through sniffles.

Jonathan shook his head. "No, it's been me. I should have talked to you about what I thought." They sat down, huddled together, Jon almost cradling his wife in his arms.

"What happened?" She asked him softly. He leaned back against the trunk of a tree.

"I wanted you to myself for awhile," he confessed, realising how pathetic she must think him to be. "You kept on about wanting another baby with the others getting older, and I just felt like I wasn't enough for you." He was surprised at how easily the words came out and how relieved he felt to say them. Then he wondered if he's said the wrong things as Thayet's eyes began to stream with tears.

She edged her body to face him and brought her lips to his, kissing him softly, her tears dropping like stones onto his face.

"Silly man," she said, when she broke the kiss. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Because I thought it was stupid. You wanted another baby so much, and I felt selfish for not agreeing, and it entered my brain that you wanted another child so we would have a chaperone. I just wanted you to myself for once," Jon realised how his words sounded.

"And you didn't think that it was because I loved you so much that I wanted to have part of you growing inside of me, and that I desperately wanted to be a mother again and to have that bond of having a child together with you?" Her words were spoken almost angrily. "When I lost our child you showed nothing. You didn't even hold me."

Jon looked at her, fear and shame in his eyes. "I felt guilty, Thayet. I hadn't wanted the baby and I wondered if it was my fault that it had been taken away. I didn't know what to do, or how to feel."

"Were you not saddened?" She demanded. Although her tone was one of reprimand, she still curled up to him as if she was sharing his life supply.

"Yes," he whispered back. "How could I not be." It was not a question, simply a statement to which Thayet had no answer. "I didn't mean what I said, about having separate rooms," he added. She smiled a little, and he noticed that both their daughters had inherited that same smile, the one that meant that they weren't happy, but things would get better. He moved a tendril of hair from her face to behind her ear, and was swamped by the black eyes he looked into. He moved his back from the tree and lay himself down next to her. The sun had now disappeared completely; the only light from the moon and stars that hung above them, watching the stories told below them. The night was still warm, warm enough so that Numair would throw the covers off the bed in the middle of the night in his, thus waking Daine, and Jonathan felt no discomfort as he lay down on a bed of moss in the forest, with no footmen about him, or servants or members of his council. It was just him and Thayet and the night.

"What about the feast?" Thayet looked at him. "We will be missed."

Jonathan relaxed a little. "Numair knows where I've gone," he told her. "He said he'll feed a line to the people at the gathering about us being ill, so don't worry."

Thayet laughed. "Jonathan of Conte, I have never known you tell such a lie before! This is your duty – to build relations with other countries and do what's best for Tortall!"

Jonathan shook his head. "Right now, my duty is to make sure my wife is going to be back in my bed with me, and that she is happy to do so."

Thayet smiled. "We missed bringing in the may last night," she hinted. Her eyes were bloodshot with tears and lids puffy with the river she had wept, but he still found her to be the most perfect woman he had met. He kissed her gently, forgetting that he was king and meant to be at a Beltane celebration, just wanting to be with this woman next to him. And nothing else mattered.

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Daine was in the bath when she heard a loud clatter coming from Numair's study, where the mage had blocked himself in since returning from walking the boundary with Jonathan. He had briefly explained to her what had happened through the door, using a spell to amplify their voices so that they could hear each other through the thick walls. She felt saddened by what he had told her, explaining how Thayet and Jon had come to falling out. On auto speech, as Daine could tell that he was now in the throws of an experiment of some sorts, he had begun to tell her his own ideas for a family.

Finally she had walked away from the door, after he had described every possibility of gift that any of their potential offspring might have and entertained the notion of a child that could shape shift without tiring and have a gift as strong as Numair's, a thought which made her rather relieved that they had agreed to wait for awhile before having a family. She prepared herself a bath and settled down; leaving a rather nauseous Kitten asleep on their bed after George had indulged her too much with sweets.

The bang woke her from a half sleep and she immediately stood up and pulled a large fluffy towel around her. Leaving wet footprints, she dashed to the door between Numair's study and their sitting room, banging urgently on it, worried by the silence that had ensued.

The door creaked open and the tall mage stood rather sheepishly in front of her.

"What in the name of Shakith has happened?" She demanded.

A smile that a child who had just been caught doing something naughty might wear crept onto Numair's face.

"Are you alright?" Daine asked, now worried.

Numair nodded, then held up a length of thick black hair in his hand, tied with a thin strip of leather. She noticed that the ends were singed.

"What happened?" She asked, trying her best not to laugh at the fact that Numair appeared to have removed one of his pride and joys. She poked her head round the door and saw that his study looked as if a hurricane had hit it.

"I was attempting a new spell, to deepen the walls of protection around the palace grounds. It was just a trial, so I used a model. It went wrong," Numair said quietly, his eyes lingering on the hair he held.

Daine burst out laughing, no longer able to contain herself. "How did you lose your hair," she said in between giggles.

"It was a potion, and I had my back to it when I said a few words. It could have been worse," Numair said, still looking at his hair.

Daine put her arms around his neck and pulled herself close to him. "It's only hair, Numair. It will grow back. Your hair does grow quickly, and it was fairly short for you at the moment anyway. It'll be back to that length in a few weeks."

He put the tail of hair down on a table near him and held Daine to him. "It feels strange," he said, shaking his head, missing the feel of the hair against his neck.

"It will," Daine giggled. "Hadn't you best find someone to cut it properly?" Numair nodded, raising one hand to try and touch the missing hair. "I'll go now and see. George and Harailt will love this when they see it!" He said as he left the room to leave their home. Daine watched him go through amused eyes, waiting until he had gone before she began laughing again, and moved the tail of hair into a bin for disposal.

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The largest banqueting room in the palace was filled with people when Daine and Numair entered, his hair neatly trimmed. Daine found that she couldn't stop looking at it, so used to seeing him with a horse tail, or at night with his hair lose about his face. She thought it made him look younger, emphasizing the structure of his face and highlighting his eyes.

He caught her staring and gave her a worried look. "Does it look that bad?" He murmured as they sat down, Numair noting that the places set for the king and queen were empty.

Daine smiled and shook her head. "I think it makes you look more dashing, if anything," she assured.

Gareth the Elder rushed round to Numair, an air of panic about him. "Would you know the whereabouts of the king and queen?" He asked Numair, not noticing his new haircut.

Numair nodded, a dash of red emerging on his cheeks. "I think they're not well, sir. The king mentioned before that Thayet had been unwell all day and that he didn't feel too good himself," he lied, knowing that Jon had gone to find her in the forests, having had Numair sense her out to the best of his abilities. He just hoped that Jon had found her and had not ended up getting lost and walking round in circles.

The Duke nodded. "I had wondered where Thayet had been all day. She's usually at the centre of an event like this. I shall make an announcement to those present."

Numair smiled, looking briefly around the room and noticing that there were at least two hundred people gathered. The Duke called for silence and announced that the king and queen would not be present due to illness. Numair sent a quick prayer to which ever gods were listening that if they did come back to join the celebrations later on, hopefully as a happy couple, they would at least have the sense to look slightly sickly.

The meal passed by slowly, Numair counted at least eight different courses, all of them a little too appetising and now unfortunately he felt about as much like dancing as he did pulling his teeth out. However, they would be expected to, so he braced himself and prepared for indigestion later on. He wondered about how Thayet and Jonathan were going on and hoped that they had resolved their differences. He imagined that they would have. From what Onua had said, Thayet did not want her marriage to be over and he knew that Jonathan didn't want that either. Gazing at Daine next to him, he wondered if they would ever face such trials. He imagined so, most couples did at one point, hence Greenwood marriages - many of the likes of which had been performed last night at Beltane when couples made love in the woods and promised to be together for a year and a day - were something to be welcomed, giving couples the chance to see if they were compatible, and if they weren't, they could separate after that length of time. He and Daine had performed the ritual last night; but their promise had been for a lot longer than a year and a day, although Numair doubted that they would have a handfasting ceremony at next year's Midsummer.

The servants and pages began to clear the table of dishes, plates and cutlery, leaving the wine glasses and tankards, much to the relief of many. Although this was a formal occasion the atmosphere still retained some of the lightness and vibrancy of the festival, a few of the guests were dressed in traditional outfits, one man having decorated his face with leaves in honour of the Green Man. Many of the women, including Daine, wore white dresses, while most of the men had a little green or red on some part of their attire.

As they stood up to move to the rooms attached to the main hall, Numair's eye was caught by his lover. He allowed himself to look intently at her as she slid her chair under the table and passed a comment with Lord Imrah who had been sat on the other side of Kitten. Slender, with a figure that drew glances from most red-blooded males and blessed with huge blue-grey eyes and masses of smoky brown hair, she was laughing, her full lips curling up. He knew he was completely besotted with her. The white dress she wore was of fine cotton, simply designed so that it showed off her curves to their best advantage. Unable to resist, particularly as he had noticed two of the King's Own gazing at her with thoughts that would probably make Alanna blush, he slid over to her and put his hands around her waist from behind her. Daine turned her head and grinned back at him, leaning a little to rest herself on him. Lord Imrah smiled knowingly at the two mages, his own hand reaching for his lady's. Marielle took it, smiling at her husband and then at Daine and Numair.

"It's contagious, isn't it?" She laughed. "Every Beltane he turns into some romantic, bubbling fool. I expect that Numair's still like that all the time though," she added to Daine who laughed and looked at Numair, reaching up to touch where his horse tail used to be.

"I thought something was different," Imrah said, looking up at Numair's hair. "Did you decide on a change?"

Numair smiled uncomfortably. "It was an accident," he muttered, almost inaudibly.

Marielle smiled, amused. "It becomes you. It makes you look younger."

Numair seemed pleased at the compliment, his hand leaving Daine's waist and going up to touch his neatly shorn hair.

The evening began to speed up, as the music was played and people danced. Daine found herself and Numair stood with Alanna and George, with George amusing himself by spouting out various witty comments about Numair's change in hair style. Numair tried not to be drawn into it; he had expected some teasing and banter about his now short hair, but had so far managed to get away without explaining how it had come to be.

"So how did this actually happen?" Alanna inquired, a large glass of wine in her hand. Daine began to laugh quietly. "You would never have had your hair cut on purpose; it's been your pride and joy for far too long."

Numair grimaced. There was no use in hiding the truth from Alanna. She was always like the annoying older sister he had never had, and hadn't wished to either. "I was experimenting," he said, sighing deeply.

"Aren't you a bit passed that?" George interjected. "By your time of life you should have found what you were into already."

Numair pulled a face. "I was trying a new spell to strengthen areas of the perimeter that are less secure. Jon has reinforced one area this afternoon, and I had identified other parts that also needed it, but I wanted to see if there was another way, that wouldn't drain anyone's gift. I had my back to a potion that was brewing and as I said a few words that were meant to assist in the protection the flame under the potion flared up and got the back of my shirt and my hair. It just came off in one great rope."

Alanna and George both fought laughter. Daine tried not to join in.

"Oh, that's not all that happened this holiday," he began, quite enjoying the attention and wanting to stop Alanna from making any little, irritating comments. "Daine's parents paid us a visit."

Alanna smiled at Daine. "We didn't see them. I would have liked to. When were they here?"

Daine began to laugh. "It was lovely to see them, but they had fair bad timing," she glanced at Numair, who was now smiling, having recovered from the incident. "They turned up in the woods on Beltane eve," she continued.

"At a rather inopportune moment," Numair finished. "I could have been worse, I hasten to add.

Alanna laughed. "I'm surprised Weiryn let you live!"

Numair nodded. "I was in fear for my life for a few seconds. I think he found it rather amusing that he'd spoilt my fun."

Daine smiled, tucking her hand into Numair's. "He'd spoilt mine too. He wouldn't kill you, Numair. He knows I quite like you and he wants to make sure that I'm happy, so he'd keep you alive."

Numair smiled at the love of his life and whisked her into his arms. George, who had Alanna nestled in the crook of his, grinned as he watched them step into a dance, Numair and Daine smiling at each other, completely infatuated. He pulled his own wife a little closer to him, and brought his face closer to hers. She beamed at him and he recognised the look of mischief in her eyes.

"Rather reminds me of a time when we were nearly interrupted," she said quietly into his ear.

George smiled and nodded. "Myles wouldn't have noticed, and we were in the room where he keeps his drink." Alanna laughed at the recollection. "I walked in on him and Ma once," George added.

"You never said!" She chuckled.

"I think I tried to bury the memory. They were totally unawares," he replied. He caught Alanna's eye and both started to laugh, drawing a few looks from the people stood nearby.

Daine and Numair slinked outside to take in some of the cool night air. The atmosphere inside had continued the raucousness of the daytime, and people who would usually be too solemn to dance were now moving in time, although at little stiffly, with the music. Wine had passed the lips of some who usually reserved it for times of shock or for medicinal purposes only, although Lady Cayala, a rather stately maiden, was rumoured to think that the recommended one glass a night of wine extended to a bottle.

They sat on a bench facing away from the palace. In the distance the forest could be seen, its trees waving to them in the soft breeze that was now cooling the air and Daine felt the peace of the outdoors, compared with the noise coming from inside the palace. It was rather soothing to be outside on occasions like this, stepping away from the strident atmosphere indoors and sit where it could just be heard enough to be able to appreciate escaping from it for a few minutes. She looked towards the suite of rooms that the king and queen utilised, and noticed the twinkling of candles in the window. It appeared that they had returned.

About to re-enter the palace Numair turned back and pointed over to the king's abode. Two figures that were almost blending into one emerged from the doorway and both Numair and Daine stood entranced as they saw Jonathan bend down and kiss his wife.

"It looks like they've made a miraculous recovery," he uttered, referring to the lie about them being ill.

"Be glad they have!" Daine returned, as the couple walked towards them.

Jonathan nodded heartily at Numair as he drew near. "Thank you," he said. He then looked at him strangely. "Your hair…"

Numair shook his head. "A long story," he quietly spoke, sending the king a warning glare not to ask any further questions.

They followed Thayet and Jon into the hall, clapping beginning when the king and queen were noticed. Jonathan bowed at his subjects, appearing very assured in front of the room full of people.

"I apologise for not being here earlier, but my wife and I," he smiled at Thayet, his blue eyes radiating warmth towards her. "Were not feeling too well. However, the malady appears to have been temporary, and we are both well enough to join with the rest of the evening."

Another round of applause erupted as the couple immediately went to the dance floor. Daine saw Jonathan whisper something into Thayet's ear and the queen smile adoringly at him. Obviously, the words that Numair had had with the king had helped. She looked up at her mage proudly. Numair caught her stare and smiled shyly at her, moving her in closer to him. He felt a tug at his sleeve and looked to see Kally stood there.

"Thank you," she whispered discreetly. Numair looked at little blank at what she was referring to. "For helping Mamma and Da," she explained. "I saw you speak to Da before and then they both went missing." She looked towards the dance floor. "It seems they'll be alright now."

Numair smiled at her. "They were always going to be fine, Kalasin, they just needed a nudge."

Kally nodded. "Maybe. Thank you for giving them that nudge." And with that she left them to find her friends and join in the giggling at some of the squires.

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It was late when they returned to their rooms, Numair carrying Daine along the last few corridors as she was complaining that her feet were hurting in the new shoes that she had worn. He had laughed mercilessly at this, and began to explain the damage her shoes were doing to her phalanges and metatarsals. Daine retorted with a glare, her fingers grazing the back of his head to remind him of his loss.

"Do you still like me?" He asked, lying her down on the bed and removing her shoes.

"Why wouldn't I?" She asked sleepily.

"Now my hair's not long," he responded, mussing it up with his fingers.

She laughed at him pitilessly. "Numair, I will love you whatever your hair is like," she smiled, sitting up, grabbing her fingers around the locks that were still long on top and pulling him down on top of her, showing him exactly how much she liked him.

He looked down at her and smiled, the weak light from the moon lighting up his features and Daine felt her heart pound as she saw him, her fingers trailing down his long nose and over the growth of hair on his chin, down his chest and lower, and began a journey that would last again till dawn.

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**_Three more festivals left - Midsummer, Lughnasadh and Mabon! Roughly 9 more chapters. I promise a very nice, fluffy Mabon, so keep reading, and if you read ---- REVIEW!_**


	17. Midsummer Part I

**Music Nerd: **Thank you for all your reviews, I'm glad you are liking the fluff. One day you will met someone who makes you fluffy inside, just refrain from killing them – fluff is quite pleasant. **Anner 87**: I don't think you have reviewed it, so thank you. I'm glad you are liking it. **Drop Your Oboe: **Thank you! 'Awesome' is a huge compliment! **Myrtle Riddle: **Thank you – there are three more stories, hence nine more chapters to come! **Bitterosemary: **The idea with the hair came to me as I reached the point where I needed to write something. I also needed a slight plotline as the chapter required padding out. Thankfully it worked – I wasn't too sure if it would or not! Thank you. **Dolphin Dreamer: **What can I say? That review was the hugest ever! Wow, thank you, and usual, you pick up on all the little things that I really liked, such as the pathetic fallacy (I've not used that term or about 8 years!) Thank you again. **Aravilui: **I think she would be 12 or 13 ish, probably 12, but don't hild me to it! Thank you for your review as always. **Celuna Currus: **I know – I prefer the shorter hair look too! Thank you for your review! **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you! **Goldeneyedwildmage: **I agree with you entirely about the faults, people and characters need them. Thank you for your bow – I hope you like Midsummer. **Silverlake: **Thank you – Thayet is quite fun to write as she's not had too much written about her by TP, so there's loads of room to make her bend how you want. I'm glad you thought she seemed more human. Thank you. **Sonnet Lacewing: **Thank you for your error checking as usual and I glad you're enjoying it! (Poor you – you have to read it twice!)

Disclaimer: You all know this by now - and if you don't, check a previous chapter's!

**Midsummer Part I**

Chapter 1 – Marching Watch

Daine looked on as Numair and George struggled to bend pieces of wicker into the thick circle they were trying to create. The day was hot, and no breeze even considered whispering to cool her down, so any thoughts of assisting the two men were put straight out of her mind. Even Alanna, who would usually have jumped at the chance, lay flat on her back in the middle of the meadow at the back of the Tower, eyes closed and the gentle expression of sleep etched upon her face, oblivious to the loud groans the men were emitting as they tried to make the sun wheel for the evening's celebrations. She lay on her front, linen breeches hiked up to mid-thigh and a loose cotton shirt missing its sleeves pulled so that her lower back was exposed to the sun. She watched the men through sleepy eyes, the heat had had a soporific effect on her and she felt far too lazy to even shout out words of encouragement. She could see the effort on George's face as he bent a piece of thick wicker and began to weave it through the long thick branches that had been nailed together to make the skeleton for the wheel. His hair was matted with sweat, and Numair wasn't much better, shirtless, with tendrils of hair that weren't yet long enough to be pulled back into his newly grown horse tail, Daine allowed herself to feast her eyes on him while no one would notice.

In the distance she could see that the children were playing, safely in the shade of a cluster of trees. Alianne and Alan had made friends with a few of the children who lived in the nearby village and had taken to spending the long summer days with them while they were at Daine and Numair's home. Daine sighed happily, listening to the cheers as the men managed to entwine a particularly straight piece of wicker around the lengths of wood, thus waking the sleeping Lioness.

"It's impossible for you two to do anything quietly," she said, sitting up slowly to stare at them with her eyes that were the shade of amethysts.

George grinned at her, his eyes dancing. "We've been makin' a racket like this for all the time ye've been asleep. Maybe ye just woke as yer not tired anymore?"

Alanna glared at him, and then cast her eyes over to where the children were. "Alianne's half way up that tree now," she uttered. "I'd place a high wager on her needing healing before the day is out."

George laughed at the thought. "Do ye think it's a good idea to keep the little ones out for tonight?" He asked his wife as he steadied the wheel for Numair to interlace another length of wicker through.

"I think we should just see how they go. If they get tired we'll take them back to the Tower. Maude will be there to oversee them," Alanna answer, settling back down on the blanket she had spread out on the grass. George nodded, concentrating again on making the basis for another wheel.

"Wouldn't you be best doing that in the shade?" Daine asked. Numair let the complete sun wheel drop to the ground and came to sit beside her, moving a stray lock of hair out of the way with a large hand.

"That would be slightly more sensible, I suppose," he grinned. "But then we wouldn't have the pleasure of your company." Daine mockingly elbowed him in the ribs. "I may go to the lake to swim shortly," he said, picking up his discarded shirt and mopping his brow with it. "I need to cool down."

"May as well wait until this wheel is finished," George said in between bangs as he nailed pieces of wood together. Alanna scowled at each one before jumping to her feet and taking flight over to where the children had been playing. Sounds of Alianne's screams were audible as they pierced the still air.

"Just as predicted by the mother whom she takes after," George laughed as he sat down on Alanna's vacant blanket, shaking his hand as it was now red and blistered with the work he had been doing. "Is she bringing her over?" They looked toward where Alanna had gone, the girl now in her mother's arms and the sobbing ceased. Alanna picked her up and began to carry her back across the meadow to where the adults were.

"Nothing's broken, Alianne, you've just bruised yourself," they heard her say as she approached.

"Can't you make it better, Mamma?" The red headed girl asked, her bottom lip quivering. "Only I do so want to get to the top of the tree and I can't do it if I feel sore."

Alanna cast a glance at her husband. "I am not healing bruises, Aly. They will remind you of what you need to do next time."

"But, Mamma!" The girl pleaded.

"No buts, Alianne. You mind what yer ma tells ye'," George interrupted from the other side of Alanna. Alianne stood up, stubbornness carved all over her face, and she marched off back to the tree, determined to get to the top before anyone else did.

Alanna laughed as she watched her go. "I would have done the same, but Maude would have given in to me and healed the bruises. Then I would have gone and gotten more."

"I always wondered where our daughter got 'er temper'ment from," George joked. "She's too much like 'er ma!" Alanna playfully went to whack him, but he stood up, avoiding the blow and returned to the new wheel.

"Come on, Numair," he ordered, the mage standing up wearily, now slightly cooler having been inactive for a few minutes. "Once we've finished this 'un we'll take the children for a swim, an' they can practise drownin' us!"

The two men worked quickly, wanting to get the sun wheels made so they could cool off in the water. Daine sat up, watching as they worked, their fingers now more nimble after the practice they had had with the first two wheels. The sun wheels were for the night's celebration of Midsummer, which began at sundown and would last until sundown on the morrow. A large bone fire would be lit on top of the nearby hill, which stood between the Tower and the nearby village. The sun wheels would be lit, creating big wheels of fire, and then allowed to roll down the hill, signifying the sun's descent into winter, as its power declined.

It was at Midsummer last year when Daine and Numair had been pulled into the divine realms by her father, saving them from a fight they couldn't win with a group of strange beings called skinners. This year had been much quieter compared, and she was looking forward to a calm, peaceful Midsummer, and a chance to revel in her new home. She was aware that it was almost a year since she and Numair had first kissed, after the Spidren attack. That thought filled her with a different warmth, as she watched her mage, the muscles in his back tensing while he lifted the finished sun wheel and placed it down with the others. They had decided to spend Midsummer at the Tower, and on the last minute, George and Alanna had opted to join them. The rest of their friends would be back at the palace, a place that Daine felt she had seen a little too much of in recent months and was glad to spend some time in the place that she and Numair called their home.

George went to round up the children, ordering them to go with him to change into old short breeches of Aly's and Alan's so that they would have dry clothes to get home in. Numair, Daine and Alanna followed, needing their own change of clothes, although Numair seemed itching to just go and dive in the cool water, whatever he was wearing.

The lake was a small one, fed by a narrow river that derived from the sea, several miles away to the west. The lake was shallow at its shores and the dip into its waters gentle. As they approached, Daine could see the water lightly lapping at the sides, topping stones that had been smoothed over time by the water's motion. On one side it was surrounded by the cluster of trees that Alianne had been climbing, although a few more of the oaks and rowans were scattered about the banks of the lake. They set up blankets and a few towels underneath a weeping willow, its fine, hair-like branches providing a little shade from the sun that was now at its highest point.

The north-easterly side of the lake had a steep bank; the water there was deep immediately, the same depth as the centre of the lake. It was here that Numair ran round to, and Daine watched from the shade as he dived in, disappearing then re-emerging at the centre of the water. George soon joined him, and the pair swam over to where the six or seven children were, splashing about where the water was shallow enough for them to stand up, although Alanna's children at least were excellent swimmers, living near to the sea.

"You'll be watching your own children swimming here one day," Alanna said to Daine, standing up and walking to the shore, allowing the water to gently wash over her toes. Daine had followed, knowing that the coolness of the lake would refresh her and hopefully wake her up enough to enjoy the evening's festivities.

"Not for a while yet," Daine replied, tying her hair back as she spoke.

"Really?" Alanna responded. "You are only seventeen, I suppose, and Numair…" She ceased commenting on Numair's age as she saw him pounce out of the water and attempt to duck George. "Can be a child himself sometimes."

Daine laughed, bracing herself as the cold of the water hit her. She swam out into the middle, accompanied by Alianne and then dived under, opening her eyes to see the life underneath the surface. She switched her feet to fins, and began to examine the things that had amassed there over time. She found a shiny ring, decorated with what looked to be a blue sapphire, which she grabbed and swam back up to the surface. She headed to where Numair, Alanna and George were congregated, George treading water while supporting Alanna's shoulders, the Lioness looking perfectly contented.

"Look at this," she held the ring to Numair. He took it from her and studied it. She could almost hear his brain reeling through volumes of information on the metal and the stone.

"I wonder how it got there?" Alanna said, leaving George to have a closer look.

"Mebbe it was some lassy who had had enough of her man and tossed it away," George theorised, lying on his back and swimming to the centre of the lake where he turned and dived underneath.

"That's brought out the thief in him now," Alanna chuckled. "He'll be dreaming that there's a whole treasure trove down there!"

Numair laughed and handed the ring back to Daine. "Take it with us tonight; you may be able to find its owner. It's probably from someone who went for a swim and it slipped off as it isn't that old, although it is a fine jewel and the silver is good quality." He dived under himself, causing a small tidal wave to wash over Alanna.

Daine swam back to the shore, stepping out of the water and putting the ring with the keys to the Tower, hiding them away in case any passers by spotted them and decided they wanted them. Feeling the heat of the sun drying her already, she ran round to the deep part of the lake and dived right in, determined to see what other treasures lay amongst the rocks and the stones, guarded by the multitude of colourful fish.

---------------------

An hour before sunset the four adults and two children, plus a rather odd shaded dragon walked up the hill to where a few people were already gathered. The hill was fairly steep, although not a long ramble, and at its peak was a large plateau which would hold more people than there would be there tonight. A large bone fire had been erected; piles of wood from cut down trees of oak, pine, rowan and spruce, woods that were meant to ward away evil spirits that would seep through the weakened barrier with the faerie folk. Most of the sabbats were associated with fire, although the bone fire that would flare tonight would be the largest of them all, mirroring the sun that would be at its peak when it next rose. George and Numair carted the sun wheels up the hill between them, and had put them next to a few others that had been made. Alanna had been tempted to help, but had stopped short of offering, rather enjoying the sight of the two men breathlessly lugging up the wheels.

They had brought blankets, for they would be there for a while, watching the fire burning madly and seeing the sun wheels being lit and rolled down the hill. Many of the people would be up all night, staying awake through the shortest night of the year, telling stories and singing songs. The two children had already settled, pleased that they had been allowed to come this year for the first time. Kitten, who had sulked when Daine and Numair were leaving as she wanted them to stay in the Tower with her, had now cheered slightly. Daine thought she was going through a bit of an awkward phase, not wanting them to go anywhere without her and not liking leaving the Tower very much. Daine was trying to consider it practise for when they had their own children, somewhere in the distant future, while Numair seemed to be dealing with Kitten much better than she did.

The stories were begun by George, continuing the tale of the Holly and the Oak king, and how now the Holly king won the battle and the Oak king went to the wheel of the stars for six months, regaining his strength to battle at Midwinter once more. Daine found herself enchanted by his voice and his way of telling a story, even if it was one she had heard a dozen times before.

The sun had almost set and the bone fire was just taking flame, its sparks highlighted against the blackened sky. A cheer went up as the fire took hold, and a circle formed around it. Daine knew that they would remain there until midnight, or there abouts, then they would return to the Tower to sleep, or she and Numair might return to the meadow and count the stars.

One of the villagers sat beside Numair. He was a stout man, with a red beard and a little red hair left on his head. He greeted the mage warmly, patting his shoulder and asking a few general questions as to his and Daine's well being.

"You realise it is my daughter's handfasting ceremony tomorrow?" Rumen asked, making himself heard above all the chatter and banter that was flying around.

Numair shook his head. "I'm sorry, no. We hadn't been informed."

Rumen nodded. "Well, you have now. I would be honoured if you would be there to see it, both you," he nodded at Daine and Numair, "And your friends."

"What time is it taking place?" Numair inquired.

"The hour after sunset tomorrow. It will be up on this hill. Can we expect to see you?" Ruben asked enthusiastically.

Numair nodded. "We will look forward to it. Thank you for the invitation."

Rumen was about to leave, when Daine remembered the ring. She took it out of the purse she had put it and called the man to her.

"I don't suppose you know who this belongs to?" She asked, showing him the piece of jewellery. "We found it at the bottom of the lake near the Tower."

Rumen studied it for a while and shook his head. "It doesn't look familiar," he answered in his warm voice. "There's tales about that lake. Legends say that if you throw a gift for the faeries in there then they'll grant you a wish."

"It seems a rather expensive gift," Daine said, looking at the ring once more. "We wondered if it had slipped off someone's finger when she had been swimming as it seems fairly new."

Rumen shrugged his shoulder and smiled at the woman. "It might just have been kept clean in there. Not many folk swim in that lake now. It's a pretty gem, why not wear it yourself?"

Daine smiled and returned the ring to her purse. "It's too big for me, I have quite small hands," she spread her fingers out to illustrate the point.

"I'm sure Master Numair could find someone to make you a ring to fit on that finger!" He pointed to Daine's ring finger and beamed at the mage.

"I would if she'd let me," Numair shrugged, amusement on his face. "We have a greenwood marriage now, so she'll get to see if she can bear me for a year and a day, so I have that length of time to persuade her to be my wife." Daine snuggled into the crook of his arm, resting the back of her head on his shoulder.

Rumen laughed. "There's no reason why you couldn't make it sooner."

Numair nodded, a wry look on his face as Ruben walked back to his own family. Daine looked at the mage, noticing the expression his face.

"If it means that much to you, then maybe we should be married sooner," she said, moving her hand to his cheek and touching it softly.

Numair shook his head. "I can wait forever as long as you're with me," he said softly, moving his lips onto hers. The next sound they heard was George, making strange noises to interrupt them.

"There are children about," he said, a broad smile on his face.

"It's Midsummer, George. This is what it's all about," Numair retorted. "The children are watching the bone fire," he gestured to Aly and Alan who were stood with the other children from the village.

"The shortest night of the year," George said, a little philosophically. "It's not a long night, but it'll set many a cradle rocking."

Alanna laughed, hearing the end of his sentence as she approached him. "It's set two cradles of ours!" She called. "You can't berate them for being affectionate," she told him. "You've already tried to persuade me tonight to follow you into some bushes and let Daine and Numair watch over the children!"

Numair laughed. Daine waited for George to go scarlet, but knew that it would never happen.

"Well," George said nonchalantly. "I can't help it if I still want to take you into bushes and have you all to myself, can I?"

Alanna laughed, sitting down on his knee. He pretended to wince as he felt the weight, to which she responded by flicking his ear, then kissing him, as deeply as Numair had kissed Daine.

A noise from the children drew their attention and all four adults stood up and walked to wear Aly and Alan were, with Kitten in between them. Rumen was lighting fire to some of the wheels and a throng of people had gathered to watch the wheels as they were rolled downhill.

"That's what the sun will do from now on," Numair explained to the twins and the young dragon, and tantrums now completely forgotten. "It will wane from now until Midwinter. After tomorrow the days will become shorter and the nights will gradually lengthen, until at the autumn equinox when the day and night will be of equal length, and then the nights will become longer." The wheel rolled to the bottom of the hill, when it fell over and the flames died out.

They sat and watched the rest of the wheels being lit, then rolled, the children fascinated by the travelling fire. Daine, Numair, Alanna and George left them to watch, happy in the knowledge that there were other adults nearby who would give an eye to the children.

"So, Numair," Alanna began once the children were out of earshot. "Have you kept to all the traditions tonight?"

Numair eyed her, knowing that this sounded like one of Alanna's trick questions. "Most of them, I think," the mage replied tentatively. "We've decorated the Tower with white lilies and various herbs. I've worn breeches with no pockets so the faerie folk cannot bespell me. What else is there?"

George laughed, obviously knowing what was about to come.

"Are you wearing a loin cloth?" Alanna looked teasingly at the mage, and then at Daine. "It used to be tradition to not wear anything at Midsummer. Now it's worn down to just omitting underwear."

Numair rolled his eyes and Daine knew that underneath his swarthy skin he was now blushing. She laughed, adding to his discomfort. "Are you without your loin cloth?" he asked George, attempting to distract the attention from himself. George merely grinned and Numair decided that continuing this line of questioning could possibly reveal too much,

Close to midnight, when Alana and Alianne were near asleep lying with their heads on their mother's lap, a line of fire began to walk its way up the hill. The strange sight was actually a line of people, all carrying lanterns. They were walking from fire to fire, carrying the lanterns and warding away the evil spirits that were rumoured to breech the thin boundary and cause havoc to unsuspecting souls. The group of people were known as the marching watch; one of them had dressed as a unicorn, another as a dragon – a sight that caused Kitten's eyes to light up – and six of them rode hobby horses, as was tradition.

Alanna woke the children for this was one of the sights she wished them to see. Sleepily they looked up and watched with a little wonder as the line of people appeared at the top of their hill, Alan pointing at each of them and marvelling at something about every one of the revellers, with Alanna trying to shush him and keep his voice down.

They stayed briefly before moving on to the next fire that was visible from their vantage point. Once they had left, Numair and George each picked up one of the twins, who were by now exhausted from their active day and late night, and Daine put Kitten in the carry bag, which fell over her front, leaving her with both hands free and then the tired dragon didn't have to walk, and they descended the hill. Alanna and George had already said that they would leave the children in the care of Maude for the night, while they spent the shortest night outside, although Alanna had no doubt that George would fall asleep well before sunrise. Daine had every intention that she and Numair would return to the lake, and sit by the weeping willow where they had been that afternoon. She found herself trying to climb down the hill quicker, in order to make it happen sooner, longing to be in Numair's arms without anyone else present.

Maude had been waiting for their return and met them at the heavy doors that lead into the Tower. She took Alianne from Numair and with George took the twins up to the room that was adjoining the one which Alanna and George used when they stayed at the Tower. Numair took Kitten from Daine and lay her down in the basket by the fire, so if she woke up se would see Maude and not be troubled by being on her own.

The two couples then left the proximity of the Tower and began to wander their separate ways; George and Alanna heading into the copse that lay near to the Tower while Daine and Numair returned to the willow tree. They sat close to it, Numair spreading out one of the blankets they had used earlier in the day, and Daine lay back on it, feeling sleepy.

She watched Numair lying next to her, drawing warmth from him. The night was almost as warm as the day had been, but near the running water there was a slight cool breeze that rustled the leaves and made the long reeds sway as if they were dancing to some silent tune.

She noticed the mage's breathing slow and deepen, as it did when he was sleeping. For a minute she smiled at the irony of the situation; they had been desperate for some time alone together all day and now that they finally had it, Numair had fallen asleep. She curled herself up in his arms and began to drift off into her own slumber, not knowing the places she would end up in her dreams.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next up we have a dream sequence - well, if you've read A Stepping State then you'll know that I wouldn't be able to get through this without one!

If I have lots of reviews, I'll put it up. **Thank you to all those people who do review - especially every chapter. **Those of you who don't - it would be nice to hear from you!


	18. Midsummer Part II

**Bitterosemary: **I think Maude would terrify them into submission! It was really interesting researching the handfasting and seeing where today's traditions steep from. The handfasting is in chapter 3. **Kelsey: **Merci! I would say I hope you enjoy Paris, but I've forgotten all of my six years of French! You'll get the last chapter of this tomorrow and then the first of Lammas on Saturday, maybe before you leave! **Drop Your Oboe: **The ring is connected with the rest of the story, you'll see how in chapter three! Bone fire is not a typo, the word bonfire actually derives from bone fire as the bones of the animals they feasted on were put in the fires so the goodness within them went back to mother earth. I mentioned it in an earlier chapter I think (although I might have made a note of it and forgot to include it! – Always a possibility!) **Celuna Cirrus: **The ring comes up in Chapter 3! Thank you! **Dolphin Dreamer: **The plot for this is a little more discreet than the other stories. It's also been my favourite to write for some reason, particularly the last chapter. I do think I'll enjoy Lammas though as well! The ring and the wedding are both important. This chapter was a bit of fun. **JadeViper08: **Thank you, I've learnt loads researching this too. It's been really interesting. **Lime 63, Daine's Daughter & Myrtle Riddle: **I love doing dream sequences. This one, however is a bit different, it's not as bizarre as some were in A Stepping State. Here I used the dream as a tool to get the characters somewhere they otherwise wouldn't have been able to go. I hope you enjoy it and its not a disappointment. **Goldeneyedwildmage: **Bone fire is actually where the term bonfire came from as people built fires at some of the sabbats and would throw animal bones in them as a sacrifice and to feed the bone back to the earth. I just chose to stick with the original term rather than the modern one. What writing does your dad do? **Silverlake: **Thank you – this dream is slightly different to what I've done before. Sonnet Lacewing checks through my chapters and often alters George's accent. She's far more detailed than me – I'm too lazy, so I must give her credit for his accent, although what comes out of his mouth I've put in! I wasn't sure what aspect of his speech you meant – thank you for the compliment. **Sonnet Lacewing: **Thank you as always! This was my favourite to write, I think this is the closest I've been in these fics to my natural style. I was pleased with the ring bit too! **Anner87: **Thank you – never thought of that about Rumen! **Feyrey: **Thank you! I'll let you off for not reviewing – I know you're busy!

**A/N: This dream is a little different to the ones I've done before in A Stepping State, I hope it works.**

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters., locations etc belong to Tamora Pierce.**

**Midsummer Part II **

Chapter 2 – Sarra's Home

The dream she entered was like no other she had experienced in some time. She had the vague sensation of flying, and being transferred to places too quickly to be able to take anything in. She was slightly aware of a voice speaking softly to her, but couldn't quite make out what it was saying. It was soothing anyhow and she felt herself begin to relax, her sleep self wondering what adventures Gainel was taking her on, on such a night as tonight.

The travelling stopped abruptly and Daine opened her eyes and found herself in a large bed, Numair lying next to her, sprawled out as usual. The covers had been kicked off, leaving them both covered with just underwear, although the air was warm enough for them to not miss any blankets. She sat up and looked around the room that they were in. It was not unfamiliar, but it was certainly not by the weeping willow tree, where she had expected to wake. The furniture was all made of a light wood, probably pine, she assessed. Two piles of clothes lay at the foot of the bed, one of which she assumed was for he and the other for Numair. She poked Numair hard in the ribs, waking him. His eyelids blinked and adjusted to the light before he sat up and joined her.

"We're at your mother's house," he said, still sleepily. "But I thought you weren't allowed to come here. That was your decision."

"I'm not supposed to come here," she replied, stepping out of the bed and making her way over to the clothes. "Maybe they found a way to get us through seeing as its Midsummer. Is this real, are we actually here?"

Numair nodded his agreement and copied her actions, changing into the fresh clothes that he imagined had been left there by Sarra. "Maybe they've found another way to bring us here. I don't feel anything like I did when they last pulled us through, a year ago."

"I imagine Ma and Da will be waiting for us. Anyone else's parents would have given them notice about these things; mine really seem to go in for surprises!" She added, half to herself.

Numair laughed, remembering the last time Weiryn and Sarra had surprised them, the embarrassment having only just begun to fade.

They left the bed chamber and entered the room where Daine remembered eating dinner with the strangest of guests. However, this time, only her mother was present, sat at the table chopping herds that Daine imagined would be used for ointments.

"You're awake then." Sarra said, standing up to kiss Numair and embrace her daughter. "You both look very well."

Daine returned her mother's hug and allowed herself to be inspected, still very puzzled. "How have you brought us here?" She asked, and saw Sarra's face fall.

"Are you not glad to visit us… I know we didn't give you any notice, but…" She responded.

Daine shook her head. "No, Ma, I am glad we're here. I just don't know how you brought us here when I'm not meant to be allowed back into these realms. Mithros said I had to choose…"

"You aren't really here," he mother sat back down at the table. "This is a dream that Gainel managed to compose. It's real in that I am talking to you, but what you see around you is being taken from your memories of being here.

"So does that mean that I won't be able to see places that I haven't been to?" Numair asked.

Sarra nodded. "I think so. It may get a little jumpy too; you may find yourselves in a place without knowing how you got there." Daine wasn't sure if she liked that idea too much. "But you really should eat; you're body clocks will be thinking its breakfast time." Sarra left the herbs and went to prepare food in the kitchen. Daine took here seat at the table and continued the chopping, mimicking the actions of her mother and cutting g the herbs into small snippets. Numair looked around the room, he was a little quiet for him and Daine noticed.

"What's the matter?" She asked her lover as he studied some of the pots that were kept on a shelf on the wall.

"I'm adjusting to this dream," he told her quietly. "I've thought so many times about coming back here and how interesting it would be to study some of the sights to be found in these realms, and now we're actually here, I don't know where to begin."

Daine smiled and reached for his arm, encouraging him to come close to her. He sat down in a chair near to her and let her entwine her hand with his, smiling softly at him. "As soon as we've had breakfast we'll have a fair wander, maybe even retrace the steps of the start of our journey to the Dragonlands," she suggested, her eyes gazing into his.

"Do you think your mother will be wanting to spend some time with you?" He asked the young woman, his long fingers gently grazing the soft skin under her chin. It was nearly a year since they had first kissed and still he could barely keep his hands from touching her. Of course he had had problems with restraining himself before they had kissed, but he wasn't going to dwell too much on that period of frustration.

"She will want us to spend some time with her and my Da, but she won't begrudge us taking in some of the sights."

A large orange and white marbled cat strolled into the room, pouncing onto Numair's knee. Numair automatically began to pet her, and she purred loudly.

"How are you, Queenclaw?" He muttered, half making Daine jealous with the attention he was lavishing on the cat.

"All the better for what you are doing," the goddess of house cats replied. "I see you are in a better state than when you last arrived."

Numair nodded, his fingers gliding through Queenclaw's thick fur. "Much better. I believe this is just a dream though."

"Who knows?" Queenclaw stood up and stretched, slightly digging her claws into Numair's flesh. "Gainel can do many things with his dreams so it would not surprise me." She jumped off and wandered into the kitchen. The mage stood up and began to follow her. Daine waited for a moment, then reluctantly stood up and walked behind.

Her mother was making porridge, large jugs of honey and cream stood next to the stove. The kitchen door was open, leading out into the lush greenery outside.

"It won't be long," Sarra said, smiling at them as they arrived. "If I'd have known what time you were likely to be up I would have had all this prepared and ready, but we weren't sure when you were likely to wake."

"How long has this been arranged for, Ma?" Daine asked, poking her finger into the jug of honey.

"Gainel mention it a few weeks ago. I don't understand it very well, your Da would be better explaining how it works, but I was glad I'd have chance to se you in my own house again, even if it's for such a short time," Sarra beamed at them.

Weiryn chose that moment to enter the house, his tall antlers narrowly missing the door frame that was overly tall already. "Look who's awake," Sarra smiled at him as he bent to give her a kiss.

"Daine!" He called, striding over to her and hugging her warmly. He then walked over to the mage and shook his hand. Numair waited for the biting comment that would go with it.

"I see you're a little calmer than the last time we met?" Weiryn said with a twinkle in his eye, referring to when he and Sarra had come upon them in the palace forest on Beltane.

Numair smiled wryly. The comment could have been much worse. It seemed that Weiryn had taken a dislike to him from first meeting him, and would have happily left him to a fate with the skinner had Daine not clung onto him for dear life. Now the god seemed to be lessening his dislike of him, and had been showing small signs of approval. This made Numair feel slightly relieved that he had less chance of being impaled by one of Weiryn's arrows.

"It's kind of you to have us here," he said to Weiryn, knowing that his manner was at its most polite. "We must also thank Gainel for allowing this to happen."

Weiryn nodded with amusement. "I am glad to have my daughter her with us," he said, eyeing the mage, "And you as well."

Sarra laughed, pouring the porridge out into two large bowls. "We are just as glad to see you, Numair. We wanted to have a chance to get to know you a little better, given that your situation with Daine seems very permanent." They followed her back into the room with the large table, Daine and Numair each carrying one of the jugs. The four of them sat down around the table, Daine lacing her porridge with cream and honey, Numair just accepting the cream.

"How are things in Tortall?" Sarra asked, her voice ringing through the room. "I noticed that the queen has had a difficult time of it recently."

"Thayet's fine now, Ma," Daine smiled. "Numair talked some sense into Jonathan and they managed to sort everything out."

Sarra nodded. "I was impressed by how you handled that," she said to the mage. "When that horse mistress…"

"Onua," her mate offered.

"Onua asked you to speak to him I was worried that you wouldn't quite know what to say. You managed it well," Sarra said, standing up to bring in some tea from the kitchen.

"Ma," Daine began. "How much do you actually watch me and Numair?" She was a little perturbed by the thought of how much her mother had seen. She heard Weiryn laugh.

"Not as much as you think. We are both busy, but I saw some of what was happening between your king and queen while we were leaving the forest, and I kept an eye on you to see what would happen and if I could help at all. Don't worry," she ruffled Daine's hair as she put down the tray with the cups on. "I know when to look away, although I'd be worried if you weren't."

"Weren't what?" Daine noticed Numair turn scarlet out of the corner of her eye and heard a brief noise from her Da that sounded like a half laugh. "Oh," she realised, turning red herself. She had had many conversations with her Ma about sex, both when they were in Snowsdale and the few times she had seen her since last Midsummer. It had never embarrassed her before, but with her Da and Numair stood there, she felt the blood rush quickly to her cheeks.

Sarra smiled, her dimple becoming prominent as the smile deepened. "So when will you marry?" She asked, looking at Numair.

Numair smiled at Daine, a telling look in his eye. "As soon as Daine wants to. She knows she only has to say the words and it will be arranged. I have asked her many times, and I will keep on asking her, but her answer is always the same – 'someday'."

Sarra rested a hand on Numair's shoulder. "She is stubborn and she doesn't want to feel that she is trapping you. She'll give in eventually when she realised it's what she wants."

"But it's good to know that you want to make an honest woman out of her," Weiryn added in his gruff voice. "You won that archery competition at the palace," he said to his daughter, changing the subject. "You did well. Eat up your breakfast and we'll have a lesson outside." Numair felt a sigh of relief that the topic had altered.

"You know that I don't want to be shooting animals, Da," Daine said in a solemn voice. "I know that they are gods and that they'll come alive again, but it still doesn't feel right."

Weiryn sighed deeply. "You're the daughter of the hunt god and you won't hunt for sport," he did not attempt to persuade her although his expression gave away some of his exasperation.

"I'm sure we can shoot other targets," Daine said, anxious to have the time with her father.

Weiryn smiled. "I did have some target boards ready for you as I thought you would be stubborn about shooting animals." Daine stood up and followed him outside, the porridge having been digested nicely.

Numair and Sarra also went outdoors, maintaining some distance between themselves and the arrows and sitting down on the bench where they had once been joined by Rikash.

"This should give them a little time to get to know each other," Sarra said, still drinking her tea from the cup which she had taken outside. "He frets a lot about how little he knows her. He came back after Samhain fair upset as they had not really known what to say to one another. In fact, Numair, I know that you think he does not like you being with his daughter, and I admit that he was a bit rude with you at first, but he can talk to you much more easily than he can talk to Daine – and you do give them something in common."

"It's only to be expected," Numair said in a quiet voice so that it wouldn't travel on the light breeze to where Daine and Weiryn were setting up targets. "She has only known who he is for a year, and in that time they've had little opportunity to spend together. They haven't got that automatic relationship that most fathers have with their daughters as he wasn't around when she was little. He has to make that now."

He saw Sarra smile at him, her eyes shining with tears. "I would never have released her from her promise to come back here if I hadn't have known that you were a good man, Numair. You've done well taking care of Daine, better than I could have, I suppose."

Numair shook his head. "She missed you immensely, she still does. The puppets your father made, including the one of you, are decorating our bedchamber, on one of the shelves."

Sarra wiped the tears away that had escaped her eyes. "I wish I was still there with her. To think that I will miss your wedding one day, and the early days when you have your first child."

Numair felt his heart pound a little when he thought of those future events. Sarra sounded like she knew that they would occur, and he wondered if Shakith had passed one any of what she had seen in the future. But he also felt sympathy for Sarra.

"You will be there to do what you can," he said. "It is very much within your powers to help Daine with birthing her child, and you will be able to visit on sabbats, as you have done this year. If she ever does agree to a wedding then we will make sure that it will be on one of the days when you and Weiryn can come across."

Sarra gave him her beaming smile once more, although she was losing silent tears at the same time. "No wonder she loves you so much," she said softly.

"I am sorry," Numair said, a feeling of guilt creeping over him. "I know how much you would have wanted to have had her here with you, rather than back in the mortal realms."

Sarra shook her head. "That would have been selfish of us to keep her here. She is needed and loved with you, and those are precious things. She would have been so unhappy here, Numair. She keeps turning round now to give you little glances, imagine what it would have been like should she have always been here and you in Tortall."

Numair noticed as she turned round once more and looked toward him. He felt his heart enlarge as he saw her. "I would have missed her greatly too," he added, knowing he would have pined should she have not returned.

Daine and Weiryn began to walk back to them, bows in hand. He could hear them laughing, and guessed that Weiryn was sharing tales of other archers whose shots hadn't been quite so skilled.

"Why don't you two take a walk around before lunchtime," Sarra suggested. "Broadfoot is around somewhere and I know that he would love to see you."

Daine looked at Numair and the pair nodded. "That would be good," Numair replied. "We spent too short a time here before and needed more time to appreciate the wonder of it all." He looked about him, taking in the trees, knowing each one to be a god.

They left Sarra and Weiryn talking companionably about some argument between two of the gods and wandered off, following the well worn path into the mountain forest.

"Can you hear anything with your magic?" Numair asked, knowing what the answer would be.

Daine shook her head. "I feel deaf again. I can hear what you can though, the sounds of the birds calling, squirrels scuffling through leaves to bury nuts, but I can't hear their voices. I would have found it too strange if I had stayed here."

Numair took Daine's small hand in his as they stopped to admire a fantastical bird that was sitting on a branch above them, looking curiously at them. The bird had a long red and orange feathered tail and a crest made up of the same colours. It's eyes were surrounded by blue-black circles and the rest of it's plumage made up of feathers that looked as if it had been dipped in a rainbow.

"Do you never regret not coming back here?" Numair asked softly, watching her reaction to the question.

Daine shook her head, her eyes remaining on the bird in fascination at its colours. "No. I would have missed you too much," she said simply, then drew her eyes to his.

"And everyone else," Numair added, smiling.

"Yes, I would have missed everyone. But I don't think I would ever have been able to be happy if I wasn't with you. When I considered coming back here and being a minor goddess, I kept thinking about how I could not give you up," she found herself in his arms and felt his lips on hers, gently kissing her so tenderly that she felt the kiss would make her cry.

He pulled away and looked down at their feet. "Broadfoot!" He called as he spotted the god of the duck mole.

"G'day," he said, amusement in his voice at the situation he had found them in. "Weiryn mentioned you had taken to amusing yourselves and each other in the woods." Numair scowled. Daine laughed. "It's good to see that you finally woke up to your feelings."

"How are you, Broadfoot?" Daine asked, bending down to pet the god who had helped them so much last summer.

"I'm well," he answered. "Things seem very quiet here since Uusoae was reprimanded, and you both returned home." Daine smiled. "There is a large log you can sit on that is warmed by the sun. Why don't we go there and then we can catch up?"

Daine and Numair followed Broadfoot to the site of the log and settled down, the warm sun heating them after being in the cool shade of the trees. They chatted pleasantly for sometime; about life back in the mortal realms – Broadfoot asked a few questions about how their nesting together was going on – and the duck mole's life here, with his young and living alongside other gods. He told of how Sarra and Weiryn talked much about them both, as much about Numair as about Daine, and Numair began to feel a little happier about how he was regarded by Weiryn. He knew he had worried far too much about the god's perception of him, and it had made him feel slightly inferior with regards to being Daine's mate, but he was now realising that they both thought he was a suitable man for their daughter. He wondered should he ever have a daughter, whether he would ever approve of any man for her. He doubted it.

A flock of birds flew across the sky in front of them, ones that Numair did not seem to recognise from his previous visit. They grouped together and followed the same course exactly, turning sharply at various changes in a song they were calling. It was almost like an elaborate dance at a ball in some far distant country. It was impossible to see the plumage of the birds, they were more like black silhouettes against the blue sky. However, Broadfoot seemed to notice Numair's interest.

"They're known as heat birds, and they dance like that when it reaches a certain degree of heat," Broadfoot explained.

"How come we can see them?" Numair asked, remembering what Sarra had said about only being able to see the things they had before. "This is meant to be a dream-like state, isn't it? So we should have seen these before somewhere."

You may well have seen them near the stonemaze," Broadfoot informed them. "That's where a lot of them nest - they like the crannies they can find in the rocks for places to lay their eggs. You may have been too busy, though, to have noticed them."

Numair smiled, recalling their adventures around that area and the first kiss they had shared. Coming back here had opened up a lot of memories of those days when their relationship as it was now had only just started.

"I'm sure I would have noticed them," Daine said, still watching the display.

"I imagine you would have, if you hadn't have been otherwise occupied," Numair said to her, managing to stop his mouth from curling up into a smile.

They continued to watch the other unusualities of nature that were there, before the duck mole looked at the sun and suggested that they had better head back to Weiryn's and Sarra's for a late lunch. They walked without rushing, taking time to notice the things that their mind's had only just caught hold of when they were last passing through these parts. Daine found herself reluctant to let go of Numair, keeping hold of his hand until they saw sight of her parent's home, a wisp of smoke swirling out of the chimney.

The three sat down on the benches outside the house, Queenclaw coming to join them, pouncing up next to Daine this time.

"How's the badger?" Daine asked. She hadn't seen him for a while and she would have quite liked to have spoken to him.

"The same as ever," Queenclaw said as she groomed, certainly not meaning it in a nice way. "Badger's don't change."

"And cats do?" Weiryn said as he came out, carrying two platefuls of assorted cold delicacies.

Queenclaw made a rather indignant noise but chose not to respond to Weiryn's jibe, continuing her grooming ritual instead. Numair found the whole exchange rather amusing.

They passed a pleasant meal in the sunshine, discussing the differences between the mortal and divine realms, Weiryn losing some of the arrogance he had had in previous conversations and not dismissing everything that Numair had to say. Much to Daine's delight, the two seemed to find that they had several ideas and theories in common and took great delight in reinforcing these points.

The late lunch had been demolished and the party was contentedly sitting back in their seats, Queenclaw having falling asleep and beginning to make strange noises and twitches that told those awake enough to notice that she was having some cat dream.

Daine felt herself grow dozy with the fullness from the food and the heat of the sun. She distantly noticed her mother stand up and come round to where she was sat with Numair.

"We'll see you soon, sweet," he ma whispered.

"We're not going anywhere," Daine replied sleepily, noticing that Numair had already drifted off into sleep, as had her father who was now snoring softly.

"Gainel may decide to let these Midsummer dreams take you elsewhere in these realms," Sarra said sadly. "I do wish we had more times like these, but at least I know you're safe and very loved," she looked at Numair, smiling genuinely at the mage.

Daine smiled back, kissing her ma goodbye. Then she began to feel her eyes close gently and the waves of sleep lapped over her.

------------------------

She woke beside a lake. Numair was already awake and sat up next to her, watching the same types of birds they had seen before she fell into the spidren webs, fluttering out different colours of light as they flew.

She had recognised the lake immediately and recalled the incident they had had there.

"Thinking of requesting temptation?" She asked Numair teasingly.

Numair smiled and put his arm around her, averting his eyes from the birds and looking at Daine appreciatively. "Any temptation I requested would involve you, so I wouldn't need the lake for that," he responded, cheekily grabbing a kiss from her.

Daine turned to him, suddenly curious. "After we got you out of the water," she began, "You were talking to the Badger, I came up to you and you suddenly stopped talking. Were you talking about me?"

Numair laughed. "You didn't have any clothes on, Daine. I had been trying to stop thinking about you like that for months and then all of a sudden you emerge naked, and I began to wonder if I had requested temptation after all! But yes, we were talking about you."

"What about?" She turned the whole of her body and sat comfortably, awaiting the story.

"I think you can guess what about," Numair said shyly.

"Tell me," she demanded, running her finger up and down his thigh that was stretched out past her.

"I confessed my feelings about you – he'd guessed anyway," Numair admitted.

"Did he approve?" Daine said with a smile.

Numair nodded. "He also assured me that Weiryn would also approve one day also."

"That seems to have happened," she snuggled closer to him, enjoying being alone in the cool night air. "Before you took a swim in the lake and we were about to sleep you turned your back to me – why?"

Numair nuzzled his long nose into her hair, inhaling the smell that he had come to adore so much. "I had an overwhelming urge to confess my feelings to you," he said, holding her close.

Daine smiled, turning her head so she could kiss his neck, an action that she knew would turn him to jelly. She felt him shiver and his hands began to nestle in her clothes.

"Would it have been so bad if you had?" She whispered, enjoying the places his hands were moving to.

She felt his laugh vibrate from his chest. "I think I like the way it happened, rather than me giving some long speech."

"Remind me of how it happened again," she sighed, her hands starting to search his body, fingers moving under his linen shirt, caressing the firm muscles she knew as well as she knew her own body, but that never lost their appeal, no matter how many times she felt them.

Numair made a guttural sound in his throat and began to remind her of the first time they had kissed and more, all under the star lit ceiling of the night.

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They fell asleep entangled in each others' arms, the gentle lapping of the lake reminiscent of the water near to their home, where they had fallen asleep before Gainel's dream whisked them away. The dream god smiled as he watched them, smoothly altering their surroundings so they were back by the willow tree, the same rhythmic sound of the water ebbing and flowing in the cool breeze flowing gently into their dreams, refreshing them for the following day.

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	19. Midsummer Part III

**Myrtle Riddle: **Thank you! Your review prompted me to update. **Esmerelda 01: **I found that line funny too! Thank you, it's nice to hear from you again! **Fidella: **Thank you, that was an enormous compliment. I would love to see some of your sketches – you could always email me them when you have a scanner. **Bitterosemary: **Thank you. I enjoyed writing this chapter very much. The line you mentioned just kind of fell out rather than being thought about too much. Sometimes it kind of works out better that way. **Goldeneyedwildmage: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the fluff. I think that's most people's favourite part. I'll be annoying people with that fact too! **Aravilui: **Thank you. I kinda thought that their relationship would build over time and I wanted to portray that. **Poodle 14: **Thank you – it was good to hear from you. **Dolphin Dreamer: **Sarra would necessarily have to be there to help Daine with the birth, I'm sure she would just aid it with magic and advice. Thank you for the huge review as normal. **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you! **Lime 63: **I would have thought no, but I didn't imagine that Sarra and Weiryn were dreaming, just that Daine and Numair were brought to them through their dream. **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you! **JadeViper08: **Thank you! Kind of back to normal. **Silverlake: **Thank you! I enjoyed referring back to RotG! **Sonnet Lacewing: **Thank you – I hope the last chapter continues to improve! **Feyrey: **Thank you. I don't think unusualities does exist, I think I made it up! Hope you like your new job!

Disclaimer: It's all TP's characters, except for the new ones that the elf invented...

**Midsummer Part III**

Chapter 3 – Handfasting and a Ring

Daine woke with the sound of birds singing in the tree under which she was lying and happily found herself curled up in Numair's arms. Last night's dream was vivid in her mind and she had half expected herself to still be lying at the banks of Temptation Lake, waiting to watch some glorious display from a flock of birds of pay homage to one of the first trees. She stirred; stretching her limbs, and awoke Numair in the process.

"Where are we?" He muttered, opening his eyes to let in the slightest amount of light. "Are we still in the divine realms?"

For a moment Daine was shocked, thinking that what she had experienced had just been a remarkably lucid dream, with Numair in it, but not actually there. "Did you dream about being at Ma's house too?" She asked in astonishment.

Numair opened his eyes fully and glanced round at his surroundings without actually sitting up. Moving Daine a little closer to him he looked at her tenderly. His hair was mussed with sleep as it was not yet long enough to stay tied back at night, and his dark brown eyes were still filled with the remains of tiredness.

"I think in some way we were there, and it was them talking to us," Numair explained. "Rather like how the badger used to communicate with you through dreams I think Gainel allowed us to speak with your parents – he's done it before, I seem to remember you saying?"

Daine nodded. "That's how I've spoken to Ma recently, through dreams, but I've never actually been back there in them, just seen her and heard her voice."

"I expect that he was able to take us back to our memories of the place and it be more vivid because of the night. Midsummer eve is meant to be filled with magic, and the doors between realms, like at Samhain, are opened," Numair explained.

Daine looked down at her clothes, they looked as they had been done up in a rush, which she remembered they would have been. Numair saw what she was looking at and laughed. "I have never done that in my sleep before!" He grinned, Daine returning his merriment.

She sat up and looked about her. In the distance she could see the hill where the fire had been the night before, soft trails of smoke still hanging round.

"We should be heading back to the Tower," she said to Numair. "I know it's early, but Alanna and George will be making there way back soon I imagine, and it would be rude if we were not back before them."

Numair nodded, standing up then offering her a hand. "We also have this handfasting to get ready for," he added, and then watched his lover walk over to the lake. "What are you doing?" He called after her.

"I'm looking in the water to see who my true love is!" She laughed back. Numair ran up behind her and looked into the lake where she was, causing his reflection to appear alongside hers. She laughed at looked at him reprehensibly. "I think that's classed as cheating!" She yelled, amusement touching her voice.

"I had to make sure," Numair's grin was a little lop sided. "Besides, that's what will happen for most girls today; they'll look in the water and see their lover from the night before looking back at them, as he'll be standing right behind them, as I'm doing. Unless he doesn't want them to think he's their true love."

Daine looked at him and grabbed his shirt, bringing him closer to her. "I also think most girls will see what they want to see," she told him, standing on tiptoes to kiss him.

He broke the kiss unwillingly, knowing where it was going to lead them and also knowing that they didn't really have time. They had guests to entertain and he imagined that already Kitten would be unhappy at their delayed arrival back. Daine looked at him with understanding but disappointment in her eyes. It wasn't often enough that they got the chance to just be lovers, and spend the day in each other's company, without the worries of the kingdom on their shoulders or interruptions from pages or other such people.

They collected the blanket they had slept on and made their way back through the meadow to the fields. Daine noticed 'faerie rings'; mushrooms that had grown in circles that were associated with where faeries would come to and dance around when no mortals were nearby. Numair laughed at her excitement over them, and dragged her away, knowing that they should be back at the Tower.

They reached their home a few minutes before Alanna and George arrived, giving them time to quickly wash and make themselves look decent, and not like the two bedraggled beings who had spent all night sleeping in a field, although, to be fair, most people would look like that today. The children, and surprisingly Kitten, were still fast asleep, their late night having worn them out. It would likely be another late night tonight for them, as the handfasting would not start until the hour after sunset, which was tradition, as it was considered to be a lucky and prosperous time for a couple to wed. There would then be celebrations that would go on until late into the night; although Daine imagined that the children would not stay up for all of them, considering as it would be likely to get a bit raucous by the end, when most people would have drank far too much ale and wine.

Alanna and George had spent an interesting night at the top of a hill that was surrounded by a stone circle, a fact that Numair found incredibly amusing when he was told of it.

"We weren't sent mad by the wee folk," George said rather dryly in response to Numair's hysterics.

"Only because you are mad enough already!" The mage answered back, dodging a blow from Alanna's hand as they sat at the huge old oak table that adorned the large ground floor room in the tower, eating breakfast that Raelyn, the girl Daine had employed to work for her and Numair, had made.

"What we did see, though," Alanna began, demolishing the plate of food in front of her, "Was the man whose daughter's wedding it is today having a whisper to a woman in some bushes."

Daine looked at Numair. "Are you sure it wasn't his wife?"

Alanna shook her head. "The woman looked more like his mother. In fact, it may well have been, there was a resemblance there. But I did hear the word 'ring' mentioned a few times."

Daine looked at Alanna with interest. The ring was still in her purse from the night before, and filling her with curiosity.

Numair looked at George with mock wariness. "And where were you two when you were spying on this?" He asked teasingly.

"Celebrating Midsummer as it should be celebrated," the ex king of the rogue said, pride in his voice. We found a nice discreet hideout where we could see, but not be seen easily."

"We won't have set any cradles rocking this year, though," Alanna muttered, touching the pregnancy charm around her neck. Daine routinely felt for hers, checking it was still attached. She knew that George would have liked to have had another child, but Alanna was not keen on the idea, having had too many guilty feelings about leaving Thom and the twins so many times to go off into battle. By the look on Alanna's face she could tell that George had brought up the subject again, and obviously Alanna had won the debate, although Daine wondered if it was a victory she was happy to win.

"What do you make of this ring?" Numair asked. "It seems a rather generous token to give to a spirit."

"Maybe it wasn't meant like that," Alanna said, pushing the now empty plate away from her. "That was a good breakfast," she looked at Daine. "Raelyn's doing very well for you, isn't she?"

Daine nodded. "She's fair wonderful," she smiled at the young girl as she came into the room to collect the used crockery. "How do you think it was meant then?"

Alanna shrugged. "It could have been a ring someone wanted to hide – a token that was given to them by a man they shouldn't have been seeing, maybe."

"That's a possibility," Numair interjected. "It would be a good place to hide a ring, and then one day recover it. There are no minerals that would harm such a gem in that water either. Alternately, it could have been thrown in anger, by a woman who no longer wanted to be wedded to her husband."

"There ye go, Alanna!" George smiled at his wife. "Ye could always do that!"

Alanna grinned at him and gripped his hand under the table, a light shining in her eyes, telling that she would never even think to be rid of her ring.

"Maybe I'll find this woman later on, if you'll point her out to me. If it is Rumen's mother then she'll most likely be at the handfasting," Daine said.

Numair nodded. "It would be interesting to see if the ring does have a story behind it," he said, toying with the salt pot. "I wonder if Raelyn had any more eggs left." He stood up and went into the kitchens to beg more food. George looked at him and shook his head.

"Why does he eat more than I do and yet still have every single female in Corus looking at him the way they do?" George demanded to know.

Daine laughed. She knew that she was the envy of quite a few women in court. It never worried her, just making her feel more flattered that Numair had chosen her.

"I think he burns off a bit more energy then you, laddybuck," Alanna patted George's slightly expanded stomach.

"And don't forget, he's also incredibly vain," Daine said, raising her voice a little so she would be heard in the kitchen. A loud laugh erupted from that room, having heard exactly what was being said.

Numair strode out, a plateful of thick cut bacon in between two slices of Raelyn's bread in his hand.

"Did you get the poor girl to make you that?" Daine asked.

Numair shook his head and swallowed. "No, I did it myself. I am capable of some things, Veralidaine." Daine glared at the use of her full name.

Alanna laughed. "I think I can hear Alan calling me," she said standing up. Numair raised his eyebrows. "Really? I can't hear anything!"

"She's right," George said, also standing up. "When you have your own, your hearing will develop and be as good as a bat's too."

-----------------------------

The day was spent in a luxurious laze, outside once more in the meadow. The sun was even hotter than it had been the previous day, and the small party had deposited themselves under a cluster of trees, so the children could have some shade in which to play. The air was quiet and still, no slight breeze was available to cool them down and the lake looked ever more inviting as the late morning turned into afternoon and the sun pulsated with heat.

Alanna was making summer boxes with the twins, collecting signs of summer and sticking the flat things to wooden boxes that Raelyn had found in one of the old cupboards in the Tower while she was cleaning, and putting the larger things inside. Numair had already taken the twins with him to find plants that he would use for magic in the coming months, showing the children that they had to take the plant carefully from the ground and then not drop it; else its magic would go back into the earth. He taught them about a plant called hypericum, a plant that was especially associated with Midsummer, as it was meant to ward off the evil spirit that would roam during the time that the barriers between the realms were thin. The plant grew in the bright sunlight, not in the shade under trees, and Numair said that this plant could be used to cheer people up who weren't feeling too happy, to which Alianne suggested giving a bunch of it to Lord Wyldon, making her mother cringe and getting her daughter to promise never to mention that to the man in question, or anyone else at the palace.

The twins were quiet and content with their activity, as well as the promise that Raelyn was going to take them to her mother's farmhouse to make cakes and biscuits in the afternoon, for the handfasting celebration in the evening. When they did go the adults settled down in peace in the slight shade provided by the trees. Raelyn had dropped off a basket of food for a luncheon when she had taken the children, "A fair swap," had been George's response as he'd opened up the lid and seen the treats that she had provided.

It was one of those days that Daine wished she could have more of; when everything was still and calm, even the animals around were taking it easy, as the sun was much too hot to be rampaging around, or squabbling. She noticed a party of ants gathering up crumbs and other food remnants, storing them up for winter. She sighed, drawing Numair's attention away from the book he was reading.

"You nearly blew me away!" He said quietly, as both Alanna and George had fallen asleep in the sun.

"I was watching the ants getting ready for winter," she pulled a face. "That would be the last thing I wanted to do on a day like today."

Numair laughed softly. "Today is the peak of the sun's powers. After today, his strength will slowly begin to wane, and the wheel of the year will continue to turn. You know that animals are aware of the changing seasons and preparing for the Big Cold; well today being so hot for so long will probably be a warning to the ants that the days are going to begin to be shorter, so they need to prepare for the winter."

Daine nodded, smiling at Numair who was stretched out on top of a blanket, his shirt lay next to him. "I'm glad I'm not an ant," she sighed, lying down on her stomach.

"Ants are very intelligent," Numair said and Daine gave a groan that meant she knew that a lecture on ants was about to begin.

Numair took the hint and grinned, returning to his book.

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They climbed up the hill just before the sun began to set, ready to attend the handfasting of Rumen's daughter, a girl who was closer in age to Kalasin than Daine, named Brenyth. Her future husband was a blacksmith's son from a nearby village and the marriage had been arranged to tie the two families together in business, as Rumen was a farrier. Brenyth and her betrothed, Jalaber had been fortunate enough to meet each other on a few occasions, and according to village rumour, Brenyth was very happy at the match her father had made, as was Jalaber, as she came with a good dowry.

"What dowry will I get if I marry you?" Numair asked Daine as they trundled up the hill, Kitten in his arms and none too happy at leaving the Tower yet again.

"A dragonet," Daine replied good humouredly, she knew that Numair didn't expect anything.

They reached the top and Daine and Alanna were handed small posies of flowers containing a pink rose and lavender. Someone had gone to the trouble of carrying up a table to be an alter on which was draped with a yellow cloth. A bowl of fresh fruit and vegetables had been assembled, along with a red candle to represent the sun god and a green candle for the great mother goddess. Daine could faintly smell incense that had also been lit on the alter, emitting a sweet scent of rose and jasmine. The alter had been decorated with sunflowers, their huge heads deposited on the table. A vase of wild flowers had also been gathered and a wreath of red and yellow feathers – the yellow for prosperity and the red for fertility – tied with ivy, hung at the front of the alter.

The path up the hill had been lit by lanterns once the sun had gone down, and Daine craned her neck to see the bride as she was led by her father to the alter where a high priestess would perform the rites of the handfasting. Behind Brenyth followed her maids, each one dressed in an identical dress of pale blue linen. Her husband to be was already waiting for her, also attended by a group of his friends, who again were dressed identically to him, in dark blue breeches and pale blue shirts. This was to confuse any malevolent, jealous spirits who wanted to cause trouble for the bride and groom. With several women and several men dressed the same it was impossible to tell who the bride and groom actually were, accept for the fact that Brenyth's hand was held by her father, as he led her up the hill to give her away to her husband.

The high priestess performed the rituals that preceded a handfasting rite and began the ceremony, stating the fact that the couple had been betrothed a year and a day ago, and now wanted to be handfasted for as long as the love should last.

Daine watched the ceremony with wide eyes. She had been too small to remember the last handfasting rite she had been to back in Snowsdale, so this was a first for her.

Rumen gave the hand of his daughter to Jalaber, and then took one of the shoes from her foot and also gave it to the groom, the shoe being the transfer of authority, that Jalaber now had control over Rumen's daughter. At this point Daine whispered to Numair in an undertone that any handfasting ceremony that they took part in would not have that bit.

The man put out his right hand, and Brenyth placed her right hand on top of it. Jalaber then put his left hand on top and Brenyth did the same, forming what Daine recognised to be the symbol for infinity. The high priestess then produced a string of leather and began to wind it around the couples' wrists, binding them together and tying the knot.

They then, at the bidding of the high priestess, exchanged rings, Jalaber also getting one, which was quite unusual. "They used to give broken rings, and each person would have half, with the man's promise to return to his wife and make the broken ring whole again. That was too impractical through," Numair whispered back. Daine wondered where he managed to find this information and looked at him, bemused.

Brenyth had the ring placed on the third finger of her weaker hand, her left hand, and Jalaber did the same. The High Priestess then called on the gods to bless them with prosperity, fertility and good fortune and ended the ceremony there, knowing that the witnesses were eager to begin their celebration.

Daine found Numair's arm continuously around her as they walked down the hill to where the feasting would take place. Rumen was quite a wealthy man and adored his youngest daughter so he had arranged a meal and drinking for the guests to be held at his house. Daine wondered if watching the ceremony had strengthened Numair's resolve to get married and if he was now feeling a little sad as they currently had no plans to.

"It will happen one day," she whispered to him as they reached the bottom of the hill.

He forced a smile at her and she knew that she had read his thoughts correctly. "When, though, Magelet? I'm not sure if I like having my proposals continuously turned down."

"In a few years, Numair, before we start a family," she assured. "And why don't I ask you?"

His smile was a little less forced and his arm gripped her waist a little tighter as the made their way over to Rumen's house. A fire had been started outside, over which two women were cooking different meats. An abundance of fresh fruits and prepared vegetables had been laid out on tables that had been moved outside. The house was fairly big, but would certainly not accommodate all the guests comfortably, and it was also a warm, clear night, and Rumen had guessed right when he had thought that most people would prefer to be outside.

A tower of cakes stood on one table, which most of those present now began to circle round. The bride and groom would now kiss over the cakes. If they succeeded in doing so without the cakes crumbling then that would mean prosperity for them. Brenyth and Jalaber managed it easily and a deafening chorus of cheers went up around them, and then the celebrations began in earnest.

The evening progressed and Daine found herself stood next to Alanna, both of them holding plates full of chicken and fresh vegetables. Alanna pointed to an older woman in a long blue dress, her grey hair tied up at the back of her neck in a knot.

"That's the woman we saw Rumen talking to last night," Alanna said, discreetly waving her finger in the direction of her. "You should go and mention the ring. I'm sure they'll be a story to tell behind it."

Daine finished her food and handed the plate to Alanna, aiming for the woman who was now sat alone on a bench, watching the revelry take place before her. She eyed Daine in amusement as she sat down next to her, obviously taking in the slim figure, stubborn chin and welcoming eyes.

"You should be up dancing," the woman said, making room for her on the bench.

"Maybe later," Daine replied. "I'm Daine Sarrasri," Daine said in a soft, polite voice then held out her hand. She had recently become proud of her surname and had ceased to become embarrassed when she knew people were realising that had been born out of wedlock.

"And I'm Bradia Smythe," she took Daine's hand, her eyes shining brightly. "Why would you be talking to me when you should be driving your man wild by catching the eye of all those men. A bit of jealousy never did anyone any harm, you know, child."

Daine laughed, agreeing silently with her statement. She took the ring from her purse and gave it to Bradia. "I wanted you to see this."

The woman took the ring and turned it over in her fingers. "This is nothing to do with me," she passed the ring back and stood up sharply, using a wooden cane to help her walk away.

Daine caught up to her, not willing to let this lie. Her old Snowsdale accent appeared as she spoke, agitation seeping through, "It must be, else you wouldn't have moved away like that!"

Bradia stopped and looked at the young woman. Nobody had noticed them, there was too much excitement going on as the bride prepared to throw the bouquet of flowers. The one who caught it would be the next wed. Daine knew that it wouldn't be her even if she was there.

"Come in to the house with me," the older woman said, waiting for Daine near the gate. "I can see I'll get no peace from you over this, given that stubborn chin of yours. Mind, this is to stay with you, although I know you'll tell that handsome chap of yours."

Daine entered into the building. The hearth fire burned low – it was considered bad luck to let it go out – but the cottage was cooler than outdoors. The room they came into was the kitchen and Daine found that she felt very much at home, with the rabbit pelts and herbs hanging everywhere. She realised that at least one person who lived there was a hedge witch, and she suspected that it was probably the old lady.

Bradia sat next to her, and took the ring, gazing into its stone. "I haven't seen this in many a year," she said, a smile creeping onto her face. "I threw it into that lake of yours when I was probably the age you are now. How old are you, lassy?"

"Seventeen," Daine replied, looking the woman in the eye.

"And how old's your man?" She asked softly.

"He's thirty-one," Daine smiled. "It's not so big a difference."

Bradia shook her head, "There have been much bigger age gaps and they have been successful. Yours will be too." Daine looked at her a little suspiciously, wondering if she was a seer.

"I was nearly seventeen when I threw that ring in the lake, and my beau was twenty one. He lived in the Tower, like you do now," she looked curiously at Daine for a second before continuing. "This happened many years ago, almost sixty years ago now. Why do you want to know this story? I can see you're intrigued."

"I just felt… curious about the ring. I found it when I was swimming and it seemed like too good a gem to just throw into water like that," Daine responded, taking the offered gem from the woman and studying it once more.

"This story isn't well known. That's quite a hard thing to do, to keep something secret in a village like this, so tell your lover and your friend with the all seeing eyes and the woman with the fiery hair, but the rest will know no more than what they do now," Bradia said softly, looking a little distant.

"We won't say anything," Daine promised.

"The boy in the Tower was called Corvan, he was the son of a lord. We fell in love when I was fourteen, and when I was sixteen he gave me the ring you have there," she nodded toward Daine's hands. "The ring could have fed my family for a year. Of course, no one knew that we were in love. I was the poor daughter of a blacksmith, and not a very good one at that, and he was a rich noble. He would sneak out of the Tower at night and we would make love under the willow tree by the lake. I can see by the look on your face that you've been there too," the woman laughed as if she was revelling in happy memories. "I discovered I was pregnant and Corvan promised to marry me, giving me the ring the night after I found out. He announced it to his parents. As you can imagine they were not best pleased and told him to choose between me or his inheritance.

"I threw the ring in the lake the night he made his choice, and cursed him with every spell I knew that his future wife would never bear him children. They had a man work for them, Rumen Smythe. He heard my curses from where he was tending the horses and came to me. He was a good man; that I knew immediately, and when he offered to marry me I accepted without a second thought. He took on me and Corvan's child, and once a few months had passed I loved him as if Corvan had never existed.

"My father trained him as a blacksmith, and said he should have been one with a surname like him. Old Rumen was a natural at it, and our income grew until one day he managed to buy me a ring just like the one I had thrown in the lake," she lay her hand out, the fingers, although now old and a little gnarled, still retained an elegant appearance. A ring, similar to the one Daine held, sat on the third finger of her right hand.

"I didn't wear the new ring on my left hand," she explained, acknowledging what the girl had noticed. "The wedding ring is put on the left hand as it is the weaker hand, and therefore easier for the man to dominate. I chose to put it on my right hand. That finger," she touched the third fingers on both hands, "Is meant to have a nerve that runs directly to the heart. When a man puts a ring on that finger it holds the heart and belongs to him. Rumen had rings on both my heart fingers, and as well as holding dominance of my weaker side, I gave him my stronger side too," when she turned to look at the young woman, Daine saw tears slowly falling down her cheeks. "Corvan never did marry, and never had any heirs to take over the estate. He died young. I told young Rumen when he was old enough to understand just how good a man the father he had been named after had been so he could understand what it was to make a promise. Put that ring back where you found, lassy, or even better, take it and throw it in the sea. It holds a broken promise, and those things are no good to anyone."

Daine nodded, returning the ring back to her purse. "Are you a seer?" She asked softly, hoping her question would not offend the woman.

Bradia nodded. "You want to know what I see for you?" Daine smiled shyly. "I will not tell you, but I will give you some advice," she paused, studying the young woman before her. "The man you have will never offer you any broken promises, so mind you accept what he offers."

"You mean I should marry him?" Daine asked for clarification.

Bradia shook her head. "You'll never give him any promises you can't keep, so marry him when you're ready lass. But maybe you should give him some hope, something he can see. And tell that feisty friend of yours she should consider her husband more!" Daine laughed, knowing what Bradia was referring to. She stood up to leave, pushing the chair under the table.

"I'll take the ring to the sea on the way back to Corus," she promised.

Bradia nodded. "Make sure you throw it in far enough. It's a pretty thing, but pretty things are only good when they're like this one," she looked at the ring Rumen had given her. "And they mean what they say."

Daine left the house silently, leaving the woman to her thoughts. She found Numair waiting for her, Alanna and George seemed to have disappeared, and many of the other guests were now retiring, although a handful seemed determined to carry on until the morning.

She looked at the mage as he stood there, his mouth and eyes smiling at her and his arms open slightly, in case she wanted to be held. For a moment she paused, thinking of the ring on her person and the hurt it had brought and then she looked closely at Numair, and realised even more clearly than ever before that he was always going to follow through on his promises. With tears trickling down her cheeks she found herself swept up by him and drawn close to his chest, feeling his heart pound. He didn't have to say anything, she already understood it all.

From a small window, Bradia looked out and saw the couple embrace. Smiling, she sat back down, still close enough so that she could see but needing to give her old legs a rest. The ring had been found after sixty years of lying at the bottom of a lake, and old memories had been dredged up with it. But so had the good ones of a man who she had always been able to lean on and trust, just like the one outside now, with his arms wrapped round a girl with the same independence and curiosity as she had once had, and would always have.

Daine retold the story to Numair, Alanna and George once the children had been settled down for the night. Kitten had fallen asleep on Numair's knee, refusing defiantly to get in her basket and being as clingy as she could with the tall mage. Daine sat at his feet, his long fingers caressing her hair as he listened to the old woman's story.

"It came good in the end, though," Alanna said, once the tale was told. "The father of the Rumen we know was obviously an amazing man to take her on like that when she was pregnant, although Corvan should have been hung for doing what he did."

George nodded. "It seems he didn't have a very nice life afterwards, it wasn't very long anyway. She seems a wise woman though, and very interesting. I'd like to talk to her sometime."

"You'll just be wanting something from her to spell me with, George Cooper," Alanna said, her head resting on her husband's lap. "Make me forget to put that pregnancy charm on!" George grinned, but didn't reply.

In bed that night after they had made love Daine curled herself up to Numair and made him look into her eyes, their colour visible by the soft candle light that glimmered from next to the bed.

"I promise to marry you," she whispered, remembering the woman's words. "I'm not ready for a ceremony like that yet, but I will be one day. Is there not something I can wear until then, that will show you that?"

Numair kissed her tenderly. "Is this an excuse to get me to buy you a ring?" He asked, teasingly.

Daine shook her head. "Why don't we have half of a ring each?" She suggested. "And tie each half to us somehow, like on a bracelet or as an earring," she eyed the vacant hole in his ear where he sometimes wore a jewel.

"That would make me very happy, Magelet," he replied, holding her in his arms as they both fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

And now, good people, we begin to draw to a close with six more chapters left. Next up is Lammas, with another appearance from Maura, and a visitor for Daine and Numair. To see it, you need to **REVIEW!**


	20. Lammas Part I

**Ace Ryn Knight: **Thank you. It's nice to know my writing can do some good. This chapter is a little darker, but it will have a happy ending. **Music Nerd: **I would like to see your poem if you want to email to me. Love is weird, that's' the best I can do! **Myrtle Riddle: **Thank you! **Bitterosemary: **I'm going for Lammas for two reasons; one its easier to spell (!) and two, Lughnasadh is a celtic festival and I though for ease I'd stick with the saxon version. **Sarralyn Numairsri: **Thank you – your comment bodes well for my own stories. **Feyrey: **Thank you. I enjoyed writing that one very much, it was nice to have some peace. Lammas will not be peaceful, but in a different way to the others. I think in this you will see my true writing style a little more, particularly in chapter 3 (yes, it's already partly written!). **Aravilui: **I am going to do DN's wedding in Mabon as I will be jumping a few years into the future. I did their first Mabon together at the end of A Stepping State, so this one will be a little different. However, we have Lammas to go through before that! **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you! **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you – I like writing fluff too, I must admit. **Silverlake: **Thank you – I liked Bradia very much and she's a character that may one day find herself in another story. I read on your profile page that you're writing your own book – what's it about? I understand if you're not sharing details! **Goldeneyedwildmage: **I saw something on a site somewhere that said Alanna had another set of twins after Aly and Alan. I would like to know if anyone else knows anything of this. I try to stick to cannon, else I would have had her pregnant by now. Thank you for your review as always! **Poodle14: **I am going to do a DN wedding, but as they don't get married until after Lady Knight I'm going to be jumping into the future with Mabon. Thank you for reviewing. **Dolphin Dreamer: **Thank you! Your reviews are always helpful, whether long or as long as a book! **Sonnet Lacewing: **I think he was amazingly patient. I imagine he just gave up in the end. Oh well. I liked this story too, it was by far the most enjoyable to write.

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters and places belong to TP.**

**Lammas Part I**

Chapter 1 – Preparations for a Guest

Daine looked out of the large window, wistfully gazing down the pathway to see if anyone was heading towards the palace. The day was typical of the summer they were having; too hot and humid, with little let up from the heat, even at night. The past two nights neither she nor Numair had slept well, waking up too hot, even though the windows were wide open, or the sounds of someone moving around the palace as they were too hot had disturbed them. The mage was currently lecturing a group of young men and women who were being trained in the gift, and Daine, having done what duties she needed to for that day, and having no emergencies arise, was now left to sit and brood over the coming situation. They were expecting a guest to arrive either today or tomorrow; a guest Daine was a little apprehensive to meet. Even Numair was a touch nervous and it was his mother.

She slid off the window seat and began to walk down the corridor toward the rooms belonging to the queen, wanting to talk this over a little. She found Thayet sprawled out next to a wide open window, patiently embroidering what looked like a gown for her youngest daughter Lianne. Thayet smiled as she came in, a needle in her mouth as she hunted around for a different colour of thread.

"Just pass me that green from over there," she pointed to Daine, who fetched the desired object. "Have a seat. It's so warm – I was going to do this outside, but I think I would've melted!"

Daine smiled, almost collapsing with the heat in the room, although it was still cooler than outdoors. "Numair's mother hasn't arrived yet," Daine said, a little dully. "She's due today or tomorrow, we've not heard exactly."

Thayet looked up and smiled, the needle now threaded with the green cotton. "I'm sure you'll get along just fine together. She knows all about you. I read one of Numair's letters to her once and it was really just about you. She knows that he adores you and that you adore him – that's all she'll be troubled with, whether you're making him happy or not."

Daine smiled, although she was still not consoled. "I worry about the age difference and the fact that I have my mother's name…"

"Stop there, Veralidaine Sarrasri!" Thayet ordered. "You also know, as does she, that you are a daughter of a god. Besides, from what Numair has said in the past I don't think she'll be bothered about that. She's not a noble, remember."

Daine nodded, admiring Thayet's handiwork. The room was not like you would expect for a queen. Although it was furnished to a high quality, and decorated tastefully, toys still lay about, a book had been placed on the floor, bending its spine, a pile of clothes rested on the arm of one of the chairs, waiting for someone to put them away and Thayet sat there, like an ordinary woman, making clothes for her children.

"You would never think that this room belong to the king and queen of Tortall," Daine announced, glad to think of something else for a while.

Thayet laughed, cutting the thread. "That's why we only allow certain people to come in here. Otherwise our status would be destroyed!" She smiled, selecting another colour from the wicker basket. "I spent a good part of this morning cleaning up after Jon. I know we have maids to do that, but I still think we need to have some dignity. However, by the way Jon left the chamber room this morning I don't think he agrees!"

Daine joined in her laughter, watching Thayet's deft fingers as they made the pretty emblems in the silk dress. "Is that for Lammas?" She asked the queen, referring to the festival that would begin tomorrow.

Thayet nodded, her eyes remaining on the small piece of material. "I'm a bit late in finishing them," she confessed. "Although this is the last one. Kuri's helped me with a few of the larger gowns, like for you and Alanna, but I've done all the children's – even Kalasin's, although you can hardly consider her to be a child still." Thayet said, a little sadly.

"She's still not quite grown up yet," Daine assured her warmly. Kally had been in the habit of finding her out, usually when she was in the stables and asking for her advice or just generally talking to her about having to one day leave the realm and marry the emperor of Carthak. That would not happen for at least another two years, and neither Thayet nor Jonathan was inclined for those years to go quickly.

Thayet's smile was a little happier this time as she thought of her eldest daughter. "She seems so childlike some days and others she immensely grown up. I imagine I was the same at that age as well."

"I certainly was. I remember on the journey to Corus after I had first met Onua how childish I could be. I stormed off once when Numair said something about things burning easily back home. I was ashamed over that," Daine smiled at the memory.

"I think Numair should have watched his words a little more, although he would never mean any harm by that. You had to grow up a little too quickly, Daine, after everything that happened. Luckily, you've become an amazing woman through it, but I don't want Kally to have to bear too many responsibilities too soon," Thayet studied the younger woman's face, still lost in thought. "Don't worry over Numair's mother coming to see you. The chances are she'll be more nervous than you are. She's not seen Numair for several years; she'll be worried about how he's going to react toward her and whether you'll like her or not."

Daine nodded a little. "I think Numair's fair nervous about her visit as well," Daine said in a quiet voice. "He won't really talk about it, just says that she already likes me as he's told her so much about me already. But other than that, he just changes the subject when ever I mention her."

"He's more than likely worried about her visit. She's bringing the man she now lives with, isn't she? That's probably throwing him, as well. He'll be wondering how to react to her as he's not seen her for what – nearly ten years now?" Thayet soothed, making her mind up to have a word with Numair at the first chance she got.

"I've thought that. I felt fair strange after seeing my Ma after just three years. I'd changed, and she'd become a goddess. Luckily we both managed with those changes. Numair will be a completely different person to what he was ten years ago, and so will she," Daine said, remembering the story he had told about how his mother had asked him to take his father back to Tortall. She could understand what Numair was thinking, but she wished he would share it with her, rather than bottle it all up.

"I know everything will be fine, Daine," Thayet reassured some more. "You need to cheer up and look forward to Lammas. It's one of the nicest of the sabbats here as it's such a peaceful one. Very few of the nobles travel here to celebrate with us, so it will quite a cosy affair!"

"Just a hundred or so guests then, Thayet?" Daine joked.

Thayet laughed. "Hopefully about thirty, which is a nice small number for a change!" Daine and Numair had spent the last sabbat, Midsummer, at the Tower with George and Alanna, missing the celebrations at the palace which had ended in Thayet and Jonathan feigning sickness the last day as they were so frustrated with the constant stream of interruptions and niceties that they had to indulge in with people they barely knew or liked. Thayet had said afterwards that they knew it was part of being the monarchs, but it seemed that this year every person they had invited had decided to accept, so next year there would be fewer invitations sent out.

They wandered downstairs together, aiming for the outdoors where the temperature seemed to be dropping as a cooling breeze had started up. Daine looked toward the large university where Numair would be, inducting his students on the properties of some magical gem or telling them of an arcane gem, and she wondered just what it would take to actually get him to speak with her about his feelings on his mother's journey. Daine sighed, causing Thayet to glance at her with concern. Thayet hadn't had to deal with Jonathan's mother, but she could understand Daine's anxiety quite clearly, still feeling as though Duke Gareth the Elder was judging her even after many years of being married to his nephew. Thayet and Daine sat down and lazed in the sun, the breeze now making in bearable to sit in. They were joined by some others; Buri and Sarge, when they had both finished torturing the trainees for the afternoon, and Raoul of Goldenlake, Thayet noticing that he chose to sit next to Buri when there were plenty other spaces available. However, that thought she pushed to the back of her mind.

----------------------

Maura of Dunlath looked around the room that she had been told was hers for as long as she wished to stay at the palace. It was simply, but beautifully, furnished; she could tell that the queen had had some say over how this room had been decorated. The drapes over the bed were a pristine white, with white bed sheets and white curtains to match. There was a deep red carpet adorning the floor that made Maura feel as if she was walking on a cloud, it was that plump and cushioned. The walls had been painted an ivory colour, warming the room without being too much of a contrast against the white.

She had arrived the previous evening after what had seemed a terribly long journey from Dunlath. Thayet had offered her an invitation to the palace shortly after Daine had arrived back from celebrating Ostara at Dunlath with Maura. Maura had gratefully accepted, longing for some company of her own age and a place that was busier than the rather too peaceful place in which she lived.

She had unpacked herself rather than have a maid do it, not being one to care too much about being fawned over and had then taken a cool bath and changed into a clean dress to revive her after the heat and dust of the journey.

It was now hovering toward evening, although the sun didn't seem to think so with the amount of heat it was still generating, and Maura, after tidying herself up since a day spent with Kalasin in the fields with the horses had done nothing for her attire, had decided to explore the palace more thoroughly. It was the first time she had been here and was desperate to get to know the place inside and out before she left to go back to Dunlath, although that wouldn't be for some time. She had wanted to spend some of this time with Daine, but the wild mage had seemed preoccupied with something and not at her most patient, so she decided to go alone, and see what she could find herself.

She left her room and headed downstairs toward the maze of corridors that legend said could wrap around the whole of Corus twice if there were laid out one after another. Some of the corridors seemed a little darker and mysterious than the others, not so draped with tapestries or portraits and the bare walls gave an almost eerie feel as her feet echoed down the hallway. She found herself at the end of a route, blocked off by an old wooden door that looked remarkably heavy. Curiosity got the better of her and she pulled on the handle with all her might, which, much to her embarrassment she didn't need, as the door opened easily and she ended up almost falling with the force she needlessly exerted.

The room was dark and had a musty smell as if it had not been used for a few years, which looking round by using a little of her gift to make a light, she saw that it probably hadn't. Two old suits of armour had been piled on the floor in one corner, a bundle of old robes had been abandoned on an old rickety table that had one leg shorter than the other three, and an odd bookcase, still piled with dusty tomes had been placed in the middle of the floor for any body to fall over it. She headed a bit further into the large room, half expecting at any second to walk into the wall at the other side, but surprisingly it didn't happen. Instead she passed more items and oddities that had been put there unwanted by their owners. Maura felt a bit stupid for doing so, but she felt a little sorry for the things that had just been left there, forgotten. She wondered if they reminded her of herself somewhat. Brightening her light she unearthed an old chair, elegantly adorned with red material embroidered with gold thread. The work was well done, Maura could tell as she moved her light closer to study it. She wondered if Thayet would think it terribly bad mannered if she asked to have it in her room while she stayed there; the red material would match the carpet extremely well, and she would be quite prepared to clean the chair up herself.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by a loud bang echoing through the room. Maura froze. Her imagination began to run wild, thinking of spirits and demons that might lurk in corners such as these and prey on girls that entered the bowels of the palace alone and unprotected.

Maura was quite disappointed when she heard the bellow of a voice calling a name.

"Briac! Briac! Are you in here? Wyldon is looking for you!"

Feeling rather perturbed, she debated whether to shout back. Obviously the owner of the voice knew that somebody was in the large room, and she didn't want him to waste his time calling for someone who didn't seem to be there. Maura controlled the flustered feeling inside her chest and made herself be brave. She hoped she wouldn't be in trouble for being down there.

"Hello!" She called, thankfully keeping her voice steady. "I think there's only me down here!"

A lantern began to light up near where she stood and she saw a tall boy, maybe two or three years older than she was. He had dark brown hair and a friendly face, with a pair of hazel eyes that Maura felt would stand out anywhere. He smiled at her when he saw her and offered out his hand.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," he smiled, and Maura felt an unfamiliar feeling wash over her and making her nervous all of a sudden. "I'm Arland of Bismere, one of the squires here, and I was looking for my little brother. He's just about to start as a squire and he's being picked on already. He hides down here sometimes," Arland explained.

"I'm Maura of Dunlath," she took his hand. "I was being nosy I suppose and seeing what was down here. I haven't seen your brother, although this seems like a big room, so I suppose he could be hiding." She smiled, putting the shaky feeling down to the cool temperature in the room, although she did actually feel a little hot and flushed.

"Lady Maura, isn't it?" Arland bowed his head, making Maura giggle.

"I'm meant to be all dignified, but I find it so funny when people treat me like a noble," she said, noticing the features of his face more closely now.

"You are a noble," he laughed back. "Although I've never met many nobles rummaging through this room before!" He smiled and Maura noticed how his eyes twinkled in the combined light of the lantern and her gift.

"I'll help you look for your brother, if you want?" She offered.

Arland nodded, "He sometimes hides in the cupboard at the back of this room."

Tentatively he began to lead the way, taking care not to trip over bits of things that people had put there so they were out of the way of their own abodes. Maura noticed the large cupboard built into the wall at the back of the room. The doors were like the one Maura had entered to get in, and she wondered if they would be as easy to open. However, not wishing to end up nearly on her rear end again she left the opening of them to Arland, admiring the way he knew just how much force to use.

Inside the cupboard, tucked into a pile of fur coats that Maura imagined fed most of the palace's moth population, was a small boy with the same dark brown hair as Arland, only his face wasn't as happy.

"Is it Garin again?" Arland demanded, pulling his brother out from the coats. Maura noticed a large bruise beginning to form over the boy's right cheekbone.

Briac nodded, turning his face away from his brother. Maura wondered why Kally had ever considered training to be a knight.

"Wyldon's looking for you, and it won't do you any favours to get yourself into trouble with him," Arland explained gently.

"Is he the training master?" Maura asked. She knew of some things about the pages and squires. She knew that there was a girl page called Keladry. Maura felt in awe of her even though she had never met her, just the thought of doing all the things that pages had to was enough.

Arland nodded. "I think he wants Briac here to have a few extra lessons before the rest of the pages arrive. But," he aimed this at his brother, "If he doesn't start to be around when Wyldon calls him then he may throw him out before he even starts!" Maura noticed that the young boy looked as if he was about to cry.

"Do you want to be a page, Briac?" She asked in a voice she thought would appeal to the younger child. He nodded, looking at her with large eyes. "Then you have to be brave and stand up to this bully," she advised, although the only bully she'd ever encountered had been her half sister, Yolane. "If you stand up to him, he'll realise that you won't be an easy target and leave you alone."

Briac's eyes looked even bigger as he nodded at her.

"Who's causing him misery?" She asked Arland.

"Another boy who's here early. I was going to have a word with his brother, but I think Briac needs to stand on his own two feet," Arland said sternly.

Maura nodded. "Well I think he can," she said, confidence in her voice. "He's brave enough to be a page so I think he must be brave enough to stand up to a bully!" Briac nodded at her, a smile almost playing on his lips.

They left the room and Arland took them the shortest route possible to outside. The change in temperature shocked Maura after being in the cool room for so long. The sun was still giving out heat and it looked like it promised to be another night of sleeping without sheets. They heard Wyldon's call for Briac, who managed a smile at Maura and took off like a cannon ball toward the training master.

"Will he be alright?" She asked his brother.

Arland shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her warmly. "Maybe what you've said will spur him on to stand up to Garin. That would be all it took – just one word answering back and it would stop a lot of torment over the next few years." He sighed deeply.

"I hope it goes alright for him," Maura said sincerely, looking into Arland's eyes. She had realised that he was really quite attractive.

He smiled at her. "I really have to go and finish some seriously difficult maths for tomorrow. I would like to stay and talk to you – you don't seem like other noble girls," he looked a little shy.

"Maybe I'll see you again before I go back to Dunlath, we could talk then," Maura said, praying that she wasn't sounding too hopeful. "There are lots of things I would like to know about training to be a knight."

"That would be good," he said, not making much effort to leave. "Thank you for being so nice to Briac."

"It was no trouble," she said, before he bowed his head at her again and then walked of slowly back to his rooms.

Maura smiled to herself as she headed back to where she thought Kalasin might be, hoping with all her might that Arland would cross her path again soon.

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Daine went back to the rooms she shared with Numair to find him hunched over a pile of textbooks, reading rapidly. He half acknowledged her arrival, merely stretching his arm out and grabbing her hand as she walked past, squeezing it gently. Knowing better than to disturb him from is readings she left him alone in the sitting room and opened the door to their bed chamber, stripping herself of the clothes that she had worn all day and were now grimy with sweat and dirt.

Numair's mother had not yet arrived and Daine now expected her entrance to be on the morrow. The hot weather would have made it difficult to travel, even if she was from Tyra which was generally much warmer that Tortall, and Daine figured that she would have had to stop on her journey to counteract the heat.

She lay on the bed and began to doze. The day had not been particularly busy, it would have been impossible to be busy in such searing heat, but she still felt exhausted, mainly because of the weather but also, she imagined, because of the worries she had been contemplating throughout the day.

The sabbat was the first of three harvest celebrations as it signified the harvesting of the grain. The palace had been covered in the pleasant aroma of freshly baked bread, as Lammas was traditionally celebrated with loaves of bread. It was now that they thought of the waning of the sun god as autumn began to breach the wheel of the year, although the Great Mother Goddess was full abundance, heavily pregnant with the sun god's child and the fruit of her earth being reaped.

Tomorrow there would be celebrations, although they would not be in the same volume as the celebrations of Beltane or Midsummer. Seeds would be blessed and bread would be eaten at the feast. The children may make corn dolls and sun wheels which would then be put away for use in the rituals at Imbolc and Midsummer next year. There would also be a play, celebrating John Barleycorn, the humanized idea of the sun god. Daine was looking forward to the play; her friend Evin Larse was performing in it, as were some others from the rider groups. She half hoped that Numair's mother would not make it until after the play was over, then she could feel at ease with her friends when watching it.

Numair entered the chamber room and sat down next to Daine on the bed. He watched her tenderly, her eyelashes resting on the tops of her cheeks and her breathing steady and stable as she slept. He lay next to her, an arm resting over her body and he relished in the pleasure of being near her, just breathing the same air as she. He knew she was apprehensive about meeting his mother, but for him that was nothing to worry about. He knew that his mother would adore her; to a certain extent she already did. He had written to his mother almost every month since his father had died and he knew that for the past two years his letters had been filled with Daine and little else. She had been so pleased when he had finally announced to her that their relationship had developed, and he wondered if her maternal instinct had known before he had that he was in love with her.

Tenderly, he moved a lock of hair out of her face and she stirred, her eyes opening up and looking straight at him.

"You've finished your studying?" She asked, yawning a little and covering her mouth.

He nodded. "I think I was trying to distract myself. I wish she'd just get here," he muttered, feeling the black mood that had encompassed him all day return.

"Why?" Daine asked. "I know you haven't seen her for a while, but you have written."

Numair felt agitated. Not at Daine, he knew, but at his own worries and fears about having to remember the past. He had not spoken to her since he had taken his father away from Tyra. She hadn't come to Tortall for his funeral, preferring not to, and although he didn't blame her for that, or that she had fallen in love again, he knew some of the conversations that they were going to have would be difficult.

"I don't think you understand," he snapped, moving his hand away from hers. "It's not that simple."

"So explain it to me then," Daine pleaded, now sat up on the bed, looking at him with large imploring eyes.

Numair shook his head and stood up. "I don't want to, Daine, leave it be," he said, his voice low but shaking with a mixture of anger and fear. He knew he was taking it out on her but felt powerless not to.

She stood up and put her hand onto his arm. He shook it off as if it was a poisonous vine. "How can we ever get married if you won't share what's making you so upset?" She demanded, her voice shouting. "I'm sorry if I've annoyed you by being worried about what you're mother will think of me! I know that you're even more worried by her visit, but for Mithros' sake, Numair, you need to talk to me!"

"I'm not worried about what she'll think of you Daine; I'm worried about what she'll think of me!" He exploded. "I'm worried about all those questions she will ask me about my father and his last days and if he asked anything about her. I'm worried that she'll ask me those questions in front of her lover, and that the answers will make life difficult for her, like my father's still trying to make her life a misery even though he's dead! I'm worried about how to explain the reasons why we're not planning to get married…" He stopped, realising that his last comment had hurt her as much as hurrok attack. They had discussed marrying, and he understood the reasons for her wanting to delay it. He had merely thrown that comment in to hurt her and it had obviously worked. Feeling ashamed of himself he walked out of the room and left her stood their, needing to feel the cooler night air on his face, hoping it would calm him down.

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	21. Lammas Part II

**Daine's Daughter: **Thank you! **Goldeneyedwildmage: **Do you really think I've have them be mad at each other for long? I love fluff too much! **Silverlake: **Sounds interesting! How's it coming along? I don't know how you can have two things going at once! **Music Nerd: **Your review made me laugh! I will tie all the ends up as best I can – you'll see! **Dolphin Dreamer: **Your reviews are very helpful, and I will see if I can do the same by you when you've typed your book up! Thank you as always! **Drop Your Oboe: **You're probably right! How come you banned yourself from reading them? **Poodle14: **Thank you. Don't worry – they will do! **Fidella: **Thank you! I very much enjoyed the cake. **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you! **Sonnet Lacewing: **Thank you – Arland was a fun character to do. Chris and I have been together five and half years without even a sniff of a ring. However, personally I'd rather have a new car than get married. I doubt it will ever happen! **Aravilui: **Thank you. It's great when I know which bits people like – then I can do more like them! **Feyrey: **Thank you. This chapter was far more like what I am interested in writing! Although I'm sure you've guessed that by now!

Disclaimer: The same as usual applies.

**Lammas Part II**

Chapter 2 – Delays

Daine awoke to a feeling of sinking in her stomach and turned over restlessly in the large bed. Numair had come back late and had slept without touching her, his long body sleeping so far away from her he could have been in another room. Now he wasn't there, and she realised that he must have woke early and left without waking her.

The ache inside her was almost unbearable; feeling like someone had put their hands into her stomach and twisted everything about, hard. They had had little niggles at each other from time to time, it was inevitable with the living together being relatively new, they were still adjusting to sharing all their space with another person having both had rooms on their own for so long, but they had never argued like this before, or spent a night without being in each other's arms. Her heart felt heavy, as if it was made of some poisonous metal, tainting her blood. She had refused to let herself cry, knowing in her mind that it had been a combination of the pressure that Numair was putting on himself and the suffocating heat that had caused him to lose his temper. But unfortunately, it seemed as if her mind was going to let her heart dominate, and it was a very unhappy Daine that walked down to the breakfast hall.

The room had been decorated with bunches of the just harvested corn and seeds, the walls draped with silken motifs in colours of red, orange and yellow. Many of the people present would be taking walks in the woods and helping to gather any fruit that had fallen or was ripe enough to pick. It was a chance to spend time with nature and be thankful for the generosity of the sun god and the Great Mother, as the sun god withdrew his powers in order for the food to be harvested. It was also an opportunity to spend time with loved ones, Daine remembered, her heart breaking inside her chest, feeling like it was shattering into several sharp pieces.

She spotted Evin and made her way over to him, hoping that he could laugh her out of her maudlin mood. He was sitting with a group of people from his rider company, his usual cheeky grin plastered on his face as he laughed along with the rest at a joke that had just been told. She sat down with him, greeted warmly by the group. Evin cast a glance at her and shot her a worried look.

"What's the matter?" He asked her quietly, as the rest of the group indulged in their typical banter.

Daine gave him a half smile, her eyes belaying her inner turmoil. "We had a row," she confessed, using the same undertone as he had.

Evin smiled, his eyes glimmering a little. "Daine, everyone has arguments," he soothed. "With the weather being so sticky and horrible and the added stress of his mother coming, then I'm not surprised. You're the closest thing for him to take it out on. He's only human!"

Daine's smile grew a bit. "I feel so awful…"

Evin shrugged a little. "That's how rows leave you. You've not had one before, have you?" Daine shook her head. "Then this will be the worst. You will make up. He's come grovelling later on, but for now, try not to let it spoil your holiday. Have you had breakfast?" Daine shook her head again, not feeling that she was capable of much speech. "Go and get yourself something. You won't want to eat later as it'll be too hot."

She did as he said, knowing the wisdom behind his words and came back with a small plate bearing eggs and toasted bread. Evin nodded at her, now deep in conversation with a young man named Edan, and Keelyn, a tall pretty girl who Daine remembered to have a natural ability with horses from the day she had arrived. From what she had heard, these two along with Evin and some other were to be among the cast for the play of John Barleycorn, which would begin at midday.

It was a traditional play and had been acted out every few years when there had been the time away from fighting foes to rehearse and guarantee that there would be enough people to be able to see it. The performing of it would take place in the meadows that led down to the forest, so there would be enough room for whoever wanted to attend, which Daine imagined would amount to at least half the palace. Evin was now instructing his two colleagues on their parts and both seemed fairly nervous. Evin however seemed that he was more likely to suffer from unicorn fever than nerves, such was his personality.

"You are going to come and watch, aren't you Daine?" he asked, standing up and picking up his plate and cup. "It should be good. We've spent enough time rehearsing anyhow."

"I'll definitely be there," she smiled, feeling a little better with his words and the food. She watched them leave, rounding up other who were around to grab a last practise before they showed it to the rest of the public. Daine stood up as well, taking her crockery and cup back to the kitchens and heading towards the stables and fields to see how Cloud and the rest of the mounts were doing.

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Maura had woken with a sense of anticipation in her stomach. It was a pleasant one, one of excitement and enthusiasm at the day ahead. She had spent an interesting evening with Kalasin and the queen, discussing court life and the many people that lived at the palace and their quirks and interesting rumours about them. She hadn't managed to see Daine much, which she was disappointed about, having wanted to tell her about Arland and his brother and how she met them in that strange room. But Daine had not really been around the previous evening, and when Maura had glimpsed her she didn't look to be in a particularly good mood. Neither had Numair, so Maura had noticed, so she had given both of them a wide berth.

She wandered outside into the grounds, breakfast having been brought into her rooms earlier, a treat that she imagined Thayet had organised. She spotted a group of people seemingly setting up for a show of sorts; unfolding and refolding a large sheet of white material and some dressed in work men's clothes – one had definitely borrowed what he wore from a farmer. She sat down on a fence a short distance away and watched curiously, intrigued by the intentness in what they were doing. She imagined that they were putting on a play for Lammas, although she wasn't quite sure what it would be about, having never celebrated this particular festival outside of Dunlath before where it was generally kept very quiet apart from a meal and the giving of gifts to the farmers – most of whom were ogres - in the area.

She heard footsteps walk up behind her and turned round suddenly, not wanting to be surprised. To her delight she saw Arland wearing a great smile and looking directly at her. She wondered if he was either smiling at her because he was pleased to see her or whether she had something strange stuck to her face. He jumped up onto the fence at sat beside her.

"Sorry!" He said as the fence swayed slightly under his weight. "I didn't mean to startle you. I was looking for you everywhere, and couldn't find you."

"Really?" Maura said, unable to keep the joy at that news out of her voice. "What for?"

"My brother finally stood up to Garin," he said happily. "And I think I have you to thank for that!" He grinned, and she felt herself colour with pleasure. She realised she would have fought the bully herself just to see that smile.

"He just needed a bit of encouragement from somebody different," she said, mimicking his grin. She wondered if her hair was all right as she hadn't done much to it before she had left her room.

"Well thank you. Hopefully his first year as a page will be a happy one now Garin won't be making him his number one target," he said, running his fingers through his hair. Maura felt something in her stomach do somersaults.

They were quiet for a minute and Maura felt a little uncomfortable, not quite knowing what to say.

"Are you…"

"You look…"

They both laughed having spoken at the same time. "You first," Arland gestured to her with his palm.

"Thank you," Maura smiled. "I was wondering if the squires get to go to the feast tonight?" She felt very brave having asked the question, hoping it didn't scream that she wanted him to be there.

"Some of us do. We are expected to attend some formal meals. But tonight Thayet is just sticking to a small number of people for the meal itself, although we may join up for the dancing afterwards," he explained, his hand travelling through his hair again and having the same effect on her stomach. "Is that what you're here for?"

Maura shook her head. "Dunlath is a very small place and I don't really get to go to balls and feasts, so her majesty suggested that I came to the court here for a few months so I could…" she wasn't sure how to explain it.

"Have some fun?"

Maura laughed. "I think that explains it! What did you want to say?" She asked, not wanting to make the conversation be all about her, like she knew some noble women would do.

Arland paused and looked a little embarrassed. "I was going to say how pretty you looked out in the sunlight," he began staring at a blade of grass in his fingers.

Maura felt herself blush, and quickly searched her repertoire of polite responses. Her mind went blank. "Thank you," she managed, her heart beating so fast she felt as if it was going to pop out of her chest. She wondered if to compliment him, but wasn't quite sure what to say. She decided to try and change the subject. "What are they rehearsing for?" She pointed across the field to where the eight or nine people were rushing around almost like ants, they were that organised.

Arland looked a little relieved, Maura noticed. "They're putting on a play of John Barleycorn," he told her and noticed Maura's puzzlement. "Have you not heard the John Barleycorn tales?"

Maura shook her head. "There's not been anybody around to tell me," she confessed, knowing that the young man before her would not mock her for her lack of knowledge. "That's the other reason I'm here, to learn a little more about court life and traditions and things."

He smiled. "My family were quite into the sabbats so I knew the stories from an early age," he said. "Do you want me to tell you? I know you'll probably see it acted out, but it may help if you know the story before hand."

Maura nodded. "If you have the time," she said, worried if he was missing something important to talk to her.

"Time's no problem for me today. I've managed to stay out of enough trouble so I've a free day," he quietened for a second and looked thoughtful. Maura figured that he was working out how to tell the story. "The idea is," he began. "That John Barleycorn is not a person, really, he's the, well, barley. The story usually starts with him having been buried underground by three men, the sower, reaper and carter. John Barleycorn then goes on to grow and become alive again, and the three men are amazed, so they swear to kill him once more, which they do by cutting him down and tying him to the cart. Then he goes through the process with the thrasher and the miller and is eventually mad into bread and ale, but of course his seed has been scattered and he will grow again," Arland finished telling the tale and Maura nodded her head in understanding.

"It's another harvest story really, isn't it?" she said. "I'm glad you've explained it. Now I'll know what's going on."

"I think they're about to start soon," Arland pointed over to where several people had gathered, sitting in rows facing the players. "Shall we go over there?"

She jumped down from the fence and took the arm he offered, allowing him to lead her over to where people were sitting. They sat next to each on blankets that had been laid out for the spectators. Maura caught sight of Daine sat at the far side, but Numair was nowhere to be seen. She assumed that the mage was probably working. From what she knew of him he would sometimes become obsessed with new spells and experiments, so she imagined that Daine probably hadn't been able to drag him away.

The players waited until around fifty or sixty people had sat them selves down and began to take their places. Maura recognised Evin Larse as Daine had pointed him out to her the previous day, and she knew that he was commander of one of the rider groups and was from a family of players.

The players took there positions to a good deal of shouting and banter that was being directed at them and Maura heard Evin say a few things back to the main culprits. Obviously this wasn't meant to be taken too seriously, and was a bit of burly fun to celebrate the sabbat.

It began with Evin, who was taking the role of the narrator. He introduced the sower, carter and thresher and started to tell of their success in killing John Barleycorn last year. One of the older men, who was playing the part of the sower announced his burial of Barleycorn and this was demonstrated by the great white sheet that Maura had noticed before being draped over the audience, causing a few loud cries to be heard and laughter. She heard Evin continue to tell the story of how John Barleycorn began to rise from the dead and the sheet was removed and two of the players began to give out sheaves of corn to the people of the audience, while the sower, reaper and carted flicked them with wet fingers, imitating rain.

"The sun called, and the rain called, to rise up Barleycorn. After all that waiting in the ground, he will now be reborn," Evin called, his voice booming across the field.

He continued to tell in a rhyming verse of how the sun made Barleycorn strong and old, with a beard, which Maura assumed referred to the beard of the corn. Then the reaper came back on to the stage, telling of his woe at his brother, the sower's, lack of success in ridding them of Barleycorn. He then took his scythe and expertly started to thrash away at the audience, making a few wince with his closeness, but never once touching them.

The woman playing the carter then took centre stage and began to poke everyone gently with a pitchfork, imitating staking the corn up to take away. The words the group had written were humorous and poked fun at several people there present, including Sarge, who was given an extra painful dig with the tool. The man playing the thresher also joined in, smacking people with a boffer flail. After almost causing a riot from the audience, they disappeared and allowed the malter to terrorise the audience, carrying a huge, fiery candle and holding it close to people sat on the front row, mimicking what the malter would do to the corn. Maura found herself laughing out loud at the scene; it was like no other performance she had seen, not that she had seen many. Arland was laughing too. For a slight second she glanced at his face, and felt her heart flip. She realised that she rather liked him. No other boy or man that she had met had provoked the same feelings in her. She supposed that this was one of the reasons that Daine had suggested coming to stay at the palace for awhile, to experience things like this.

The miller, who was a large, thick set woman, took over from the malter, brandishing a flag stone which she began to place on people's heads as she said her lines in a rather fearsome voice, telling of how she was going to crush him well under her stone and make sure that he was dead.

"She's the head cook in the palace," Arland whispered to her. "Most people are terrified of her!"

"I'm not surprised!" Maura replied.

The women, dressed in tradition peasant clothes, with rouge deeply painted on her cheeks, came forwards carrying two bowls. The people present began dipping their sheaves of corn into one of the bowls and then shaking it so that drips fell into the other. Maura followed, unsure of what this was going to do. When everyone, from the elderly lady who was an aunt of King Jonathan's to the smallest child of one of the maids, had splattered their corn, the contents of second bowl were poured into a nut brown one that Evin had appeared with. What was tipped out wasn't the few drops of water, but a dark ale, causing some of the younger members of the audience to gasp at where it had come from, and others to shout out asking for some or making other jokes.

The players then made a semi circle around the ale and a loaf of bread that had been passed to them by a man Arland identified to be one of the chefs. Then, in his loud voice, Evin continued with the ending of the story.

"Oh, they have tried to kill Sir John,

With scythe and fire and mill,

But I taste the bread and ale and still,

I must declare,

That Sir John lives on!"

A round of applause and cheering began, but was hushed as Evin stepped forward to end the play formally,

"So, let next year let the grain grow strong and tall,

To feed us all, the big and small,

Goddess bless us one and all,

And now the play is done,

So heed the festive table's call!"

A final cheer went up, and people began to stand, a group circling around Evin and patting him on the back in congratulations. Maura stood with Arland. The sun had reached its peak in the cloudless, blue sky, and although it would be hotter later on in the afternoon, it was already boiling at an uncomfortable temperature. She hoped she didn't look too hot and flustered with heat, and that Arland wouldn't notice that she had mopped her brow a couple of times with her handkerchief.

"Did you enjoy that?" He asked her, and she noticed that his eyes were twinkling at her again.

She nodded. It had been fun and it was something she would have never seen at Dunlath. "Thank you," she smiled at him.

He shook his head, "I'm sure you would have seen it without me being there. Thank you for letting me accompany you. Some ladies wouldn't have wanted a squire with them, or wouldn't have come to watch this at all, given that its such a hot day – they might get a freckle or something," he smiled at her and Maura wondered if her heart was going to act like that every time he grinned and whether it would have any lasting impact on her health.

"I've already got freckles," she said, pointing to one she knew adorned her nose.

"I know," he said, amusement in his voice. "They suit you."

She blushed, figuring it was a compliment. "Thank you."

"Shall I walk you back to the palace?" He offered. "I don't know what your plans are for the afternoon, but I imagine it will be too hot to spend much of it out here."

Maura nodded. "I said I would have a midday meal with the queen and Princess Kalasin. I would very much like it if you walked me back." He offered her his arm once more and they proceeded to the palace.

As they walked Maura noticed the tall figure of Numair, looking distinctly unhappy as he watched the goings on in the field. She wondered if something had happened with him and Daine to make them both miserable, and then rejected the idea. It was more likely to have something to do with the visit from his mother. Numair and Daine were far too in love to have had an argument, and people in love didn't row, did they?

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Thayet sat next to her husband at the thin, long table and glanced around at her guests. Maura seemed to have settled in well into court life, and was happily exchanging gossip with Kalasin. The two girls were only a year or so apart in age and had a lot in common. Thayet had noticed a rather becoming flush to Maura's cheeks, and she assumed it had something to do with Arland of Bismere, whom she'd been sat with during the play. Thayet approved if they were about to indulge on an innocent romance; Arland's parents were also gentry, although not keen at all on court life, and from what Thayet knew he was an excellent squire and would almost undoubtedly become an excellent knight, being both bright and brave. For that reason, she had made sure that Lord Wyldon had informed the squires currently present at the palace that they may join in with the dancing later, in fact, she had almost ordered Wyldon to make sure they were there, much to his chagrin. She smothered a laugh at the thought of the look on his face. He had never particularly approved of her.

Her eyes were drawn to Daine who looked completely miserable. Numair's mother still hadn't arrived, but Thayet doubted if that was the cause. They had obviously had an argument. Numair was seated several seats down, in between Harailt and Lindhall, trying to immerse himself in a conversation that Thayet doubted anyone else at the table would understand, and by the look on Numair's face she doubted that he understood it either; his thought were obviously elsewhere.

She turned to her husband, who was busy filling himself with a rather huge piece of cake, lushly decorated with fresh cream.

"You're going to end up with a huge belly like Imrah's if you're not careful," she warned him in an undertone, poking his hard stomach under the table. This was her current favourite pastime. Jon had recently developed a complex about reaching forty, so she was having much pleasure hinting at him developing a middle aged spread.

"Well, seeing as you've just had a piece that was twice the size of mine, I think you should be attempting something more in the way of exercise," he said fondly. "Else I might have to look round for a younger model to grace my arm."

Thayet laughed, poking him a little harder. "No one else would put up with you," she smiled, any upset from a few months ago now completely evaporated. "Have you seen Daine and Numair?" She asked him, her tone becoming more serious.

"Many times, my love," he responded, spooning the last of the cake into his mouth.

"I think they've had a row," she said, ignoring his flippancy.

"I would agree, seeing as they're not sat anywhere near each other and have been throwing little glances at each other all evening," Jonathan answered.

"That was observant of you," Thayet glared at him. "Do you think I should have a word with one of them, see if I can help at all?"

Jonathan shook his head. "They need to resolve this themselves. It's their first big fallout, they have to do it. Don't interfere."

Thayet sighed, knowing he was right. If they hadn't sorted themselves out by tomorrow then she would interfere, as Jonathan had put it, but until then she would just hope that they would soon end up in each other's arms.

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The dancing had started nearly an hour ago and Maura still hadn't seen Arland. She felt her heart sinking into her stomach with the disappointment, but still tried to keep hopeful. Maybe Lord Wyldon had kept him back for some reason. She had heard that he was rather mean.

She sat down and sipped a little of the wine she had been given. It was not a strong drink as it was the one that was usually given to the younger children so that they didn't feel left out. Maura was no longer considered one of the younger children, but she wasn't that used to drinking wine and had thought that the normal stuff might make her a bit giddy, as it had made Kalasin already.

She watched the dancers circling round the floor, some closer than others. It was possible to tell who were lovers from the way they danced and how they held each other. She hadn't seen Daine or Numair all evening. Daine was cooped into a corner with Onua and Numair didn't appear to be around. Maura wondered if Numair's mother had arrived and he was spending time with her, but in that case, she thought, wouldn't Daine be there as well?

She felt a light tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Arland standing next to her.

"May I have this dance, m'lady?" he asked, his eyes twinkling in the candlelight, holding out his arm.

"Of course," she said getting up as gracefully as she could in the many layered skirt that she wore. It was a lilac shade that suited her, and fitted perfectly to enhance the curves that the goddess had recently blessed her with. Much to her astonishment she had seen the gaze of several young men follow her tonight, and had felt flattered and shy at the same time. She hoped Arland would notice her in the same way.

He led her around the dance floor and she wondered what people were thinking of them. He spoke a little to her, asking her about the meal and what she had done that afternoon and telling her about the archery practise he'd had. She found that four different songs had passed and they were still talking.

As the musicians took a break so did they, returning to side of the floor.

"It's warm in here," Maura said, knowing that her face would be glowing with the heat and energy of dancing.

"Shall we stand outside?" Arland offered. Maura nodded and they walked out of the big double doors that led to the courtyard, and then on to the surrounding fields. The stars were ablaze in the sky, giving a little more light to that of the candle lamps that had been lit around the courtyard. Maura could here the chirruping of crickets and other insects that were probably too hot to sleep. The night was humid, although it did have a gentle cooling breeze that was almost chilly when it blew for a while.

"It will thunder later," Arland said, glancing up at the sky.

"How do you know?" Maura asked, looking up too.

"There are clouds to the east that look like they're carrying rain and there's a spark in the air. And I had a bad headache before, and I always get those before a storm," he looked back down, his eyes going back to Maura's face.

Facing him, she realised why he had been later than the other squires. "Did you have to see a healer?" She asked, eyes wide. He nodded. "If you weren't well you should have stayed in bed!"

He smiled, and she felt his hands grip hers slightly. "I wanted to see you," he said softly, and she noticed the blush on his cheeks under the soft lighting.

"I, I'm glad you came," she said, feeling redness creep up her cheeks.

They were both silent as they met each other's eyes, both a little unsure. Then he leaned down to her and she knew she was instinctively pressing closer to him, her heart feeling like it was about to explode inside her chest as he kissed her. And she managed, just about, to make sure that her nose didn't bump his.

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Daine stood outside of the main palace gates, her hands wrapped around a small pipstrell bat that had nearly been supper for an owl. The air seemed to be at breaking point, such was the intensity of it. The heat seemed crueller than it had done during the day, and Daine wondered if it was purposely mirroring how she felt inside. They hadn't exchanged a word since their argument last night, in fact, she had not seen him properly since then. He had spent the day inside, buried under some books probably, trying to ignore reality. Her heart felt battered, and she knew that the tears were welling up. She had kept them under control all day, all the way through Evin's play and through the meal. She couldn't believe that he had moved his place so he sat with Harailt and Lindhall instead of her. Now was the worst of it, she didn't even know if he would be sleeping in their bed, or if he would even be in their room when she got back. It wouldn't surprise her if he had returned to the study where he worked with Harailt sometimes and had carried on with his experiments.

She rested her back against a wall and released the bat, knowing that it would now avoid owls with even more care than it had before. She heard it thank her, and she responded appropriately, but her heart didn't feel in it, it was far to occupied with thinking about Numair.

The air felt still and unnaturally quiet, even the gentle cooling breeze that had begun dancing that evening had ceased. Daine knew that the tension inside her was being replicated externally; there was too much tension in the air.

The something snapped, and the sky began to cry. Slowly at first, with big, heavy drops splattering on the ground and on her face. She moved further out into the open air, knowing that it was a stupid idea in case it thundered, but needing to feel the elements against her, needing something raw to make her feel as if she wasn't just a thing too tied up within herself. The rain grew harder and she saw the lightning break across the sky, its flash of light illuminating her surroundings as she had never seen them before. Thunder bellowed and the sound rang through her mind, clearing her head of all the useless thoughts she had had over the course of the day, and she felt the realisation hit her as cold as the raindrops on her skin, and she realised how ridiculous the whole thing had been.

She felt herself become saturated with the rain as it grew harder. The lightning tore across the sky almost repeatedly, barely giving way to let the thunder have a turn. Looking up to the windows of the rooms that she and Numair shared she noticed a candle shining in the window, as if it was calling her home having illuminated his thoughts as the lightning had hers. She turned her back to go into the castle, and heard footsteps behind her. Turning sharply, she saw an older woman, accompanied by a man who looked slightly younger. Both were drenched and carried packs, but both wore an air of dignity and calm that only came through years of experience. A second look at the woman told her all she needed to know.

"Hello, Daine," the woman said, dropping her pack and holding out her arms.

* * *

_S**ee that little review button down there? It's there just so you can write and tell me what you think. Easy...**_


	22. Lammas Part III

**Bitterosemary: **Thank you! This had been one of my favourite chapters to write of all and I think my usual style is more apparent, so I'm glad you liked it. I find Maura really easy to write, she was portrayed so well in WS that she's easy to continue. **Goldeneyedwildmage: **You'll find out who the visitors are when you read on…. Thank you for your review! **Feyrey: **I'm far too fluffy where DN are concerned. In my book I won't be, so be prepared… (And please feel free to pull me up for over description!) ** Neal's Chick: **Dun dun dun indeed! **Drop Your Oboe: **Thank you! I have given nothing up for lent – except housework! **Silverlake: **I thought the contrast would work well, even though Maura's story doesn't really tie in with Daine. I'm glad it seems to work. Thank you. **Celuna Cirrus: **I heard she's goling to write a book about her, I'm not sure if it will be a series. She's also doing a series about Numair's early years. **Aravilui: **Wrestlers? Huh? Really? I have a lot of fun with Thayet and Jon, they're my favourite comedy couple for some reason. **Poodle14: **Here's the update! **Dolphin Dreamer: **Re apologies – when me and my beloved(!) have a row I never apologise, even if I was at fault. I also never admit that I may be wrong (I never am anyway). However he won't apologise either so we usually end up at stalemate! He's a lawyer, so he's horribly good at arguing unfortunately, but hates the silent treatment which I am a master of! Thank you for your review! **Jess: **Thank you! Good to know your internet's better! **Sonnet Lacewing: **Evin and Saffron are kindred spirits definitely. I prefer Saff though (if I had to choose!). I've read loads of fics where Numair's ma is horrible, and I just doubt she'd be like that. You may me laugh with what you said about you and your mother in law! **Music Nerd: **Your description is very good. What name are you under on I'd like to read some of your stuff. **Daine's Daughter: **Everything will be okay, don't worry. You'll see anyway! **Megster: **Don't get in trouble from your teacher! I'm glad you like it and thank you for reviewing – its always nice to hear from someone new!

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews! I've passed 300! I really appreciate the time you spend on commenting!

**Lammas Part III**

Chapter 3 – Mornings

Numair looked out of the window at the storm erupting outside and felt some of his anger and irritation seep away as the rain began. He knew that the humidity had been part of the source of his aggravated mood, along with the stress of waiting for his mother to arrive. Pure pride stopped him from going to Daine to apologise, although he desperately wanted her to be curled up in his arms as they made love with the furious storm going on around them.

He focused his attention on what was going on outside once more, and noticed his lover stood in the middle of the space in between the building. Her skin was becoming soaked with the rain, huge, cool drops hitting her skin and the area around her, bringing a welcome relief to the air and everything that breathed it. He found the urge to go down the stairs and join her, to hold her in nature's release. "For Mithros' sake!" He cursed, not bothering to grab a robe and left the room, hurdling down the corridor toward the stairs. He was about to step outside when he saw Daine being embraced by a woman, a man stood next to her. For a moment her felt annoyed that he could not go to Daine as he had planned, and then he realised who the woman was. Even after eleven years he recognised her, as he imagined he always would.

He stepped outside into the pouring rain; the thunder almost deafening it was so close. Every few minutes a fork of lightning would streak through the sky, rendering everything illuminated hauntingly. His mother saw him from over Daine's shoulder. Letting go of his lover she moved toward him, her arms tentatively waiting to see if he would want to be held in her embrace.

For a second he became that small boy, seeing his mother after a long nightmare, or after she had been away to see her parents. He moved toward her, feeling the rain hitting his skin like pins, but it made him feel alive. She grabbed him in her arms and he felt her tears mingle with the raindrops on his shirt, warm tears in comparison with the coolness of the rain.

He saw Daine watching; her expression one he could not read. He felt water spill out of his own eyes and trail down his face, dripping heavily to the floor. "Ma," he said, softly, before the tears came more rapidly and eleven years disappeared in an instant. He knew there would be awkward moments, and a lot of explanations that would tear out both their hearts, but hopefully it would act like a healing potion upon them both, and the past would finally be given a burial.

Daine's voice became apparent through the thunder. "Shouldn't we go inside?" She spoke, her voice clear with no edge to it, although he never would have expected one with it being Daine.

His ma broke away from him and nodded. "It would be wise," she told he (did you mean her or him), examining him with her eyes. "You look well, Arram." She said in her cool, crisp voice, that he had rarely heard affection in whilst he was growing up. Daine led the way inside of the deserted palace. Everyone had disappeared to bed, or back to sitting rooms that belonged to their friends. Some people, he imagined, would have taken a walk into the woods in the heat of the night, and would now be sheltering from the rain and thunder under the canopy of trees. It wouldn't be an unpleasant experience, he knew. In some ways it would be a relief, to feel the drops of rain and to experience the breath of cooler air.

"We may as well go back to our rooms," he said to Daine, now his voice felt unimpaired enough to speak. No one spoke on the way to the rooms, partly through fear of waking someone who was slumbering and also through the knowledge that once one person began speaking, the dam would break and they would be flooded with words.

They sat down in the sitting room, the fire softly burning embers in the hearth. It was bad luck to let the flames completely extinguish as they had been lit from the Beltane fires, and should be kept until Samhain. He watched his mother gaze around the room and wondered what she would make of it. Her house had always been simple and unelaborated. His rooms were finer, as was befitting someone in his position, but were also now more homely and had the feminine touch that had once been amiss. He looked at Daine, sat pensively on the chair by the window, where the cool breeze still ran into the room, bringing with it the fresh smell of rain after a period of heat.

He glanced at his mother and then back at Daine, instinctively knowing what needed to be done next.

"Excuse me, Ma, but I really need to speak with Daine," he said, realising that they had no drinks prepared and he had not yet been introduced to her friend.

"That's fine, Arram," she said, her voice softer than he ever remembered. "I recognise that you have things to sort out."

Daine stood up, following Numair into their chamber room. Numair noticed a smile passed between the two women as he and Daine left the room and wondered what they had discussed before he had arrived. He closed the door and sat down onto the bed. She stood by the window, her arms folded defensively, and he realised the hurt he had caused her and wondered how he could begin to make it better.

"Isn't this a little rude?" Daine asked quietly, gesturing to the room they had come from. "They've been travelling for days and we've left them there without drinks or dry clothes or showing them to a room…"

Numair nodded, disheartened by the start of their conversation. "It is rude, Daine, but this is more important," he paused, looking at her, desperately wanting that connection between them to return. "I'm sorry, Daine. Today's been the worst day of my life. I should never have taken everything out on you." He saw the blue-grey eyes flood with tears as she looked away from him. He wasn't sure what else he could say that wouldn't take forever to explain, especially when he didn't understand it himself.

"Why didn't you speak to me?" She demanded, her voice risen and clearly audible against the thunder that growled ferociously outside, the rain being thrown down to the ground with force.

"I didn't know how to," he said, feeling his throat stretched with an emotion so painful he wasn't sure how he spoke.

The door handle turned and his mother entered, wearing dry clothes that she had taken from her luggage. She stood for a few moments, looking at the two of them, stood only a few footsteps apart but may as well have been in different countries.

"Sometimes a storm is needed to clear the air," she said, her voice penetrating the silence in the room. "That doesn't just mean the weather, it means here, in your rooms too." She sat on a chair next to the bed. "Arram's father and I had rows at first, but he never understood the purpose of them, and thought that every harsh word was a blip on something that was meant to be perfect. He turned to drink for many reasons, and when he was drunk the truth would be outed. All the things he wanted to say but felt he couldn't, and that hurt more. I know you've rowed and I imagine it's because of many things and none of those things are because you don't love each other," she paused looking at the young woman still standing dejectedly by the window. "Daine you need to go to him," she said. "Stop being stubborn and go to him. As soon as you find yourself in his arms it will all be made better." She waited until Daine had stepped the short distance and sat next to Numair.

"We have lots to talk about, but it can wait. Rehan has already found a maid who knows where there are rooms prepared for us. Tomorrow we can begin talking; but Arram, you have nothing to be worried about. I am your mother, why would I try to cause you pain?"

Numair looked into the eyes so identical to his own. The last time he had seen her she had begged him to help his father and take him back to Tortall, refusing to go herself. She had been right, his father had needed him much more than she had, and she had been at the end of her patience with him and hopelessly worn down. Now she was revived and he felt like he had a glimpse of the woman she had been before she had become overwhelmed with his father, keeping the business together and then having to deal with a child who could not have always been easy, given the circumstances she was already drowning in. He had a brief epiphany that told him she had never intentionally hurt him, only ever in self defence, and for that she had carried the guilt around like a lead weight.

"I know," he said softly. She came to him and held him, although she didn't even make it up to his shoulder. Backing away, she kissed him on the cheek and did the same with Daine, holding both of the woman's hands as she did so. "Goddess bless," she whispered, leaving the room and then leaving the sitting room to probably follow a maid to the rooms her and Rehan had been given while they were visiting her son.

Numair stared at the door after her for a few moments, and then felt Daine's soft fingers on the side of his face, drawing his attention. As he looked at her he felt the tears again begin to spill, and he buried his head on her shoulder and forgot about time and who he was supposed to be, only consumed with the one person he knew he truly needed, with whom his tears mingled.

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Daine woke early, her heart still beating fast and her eyes heavy with dried tears. She was tangled in Numair's limbs, her arms wrapped around him also. Her first thought was of what had gone the night before. She had been startled by the arrival of Numair's mother, imagining that it would be the day time when she finally arrived. And then to be taken straight into her arms – that was not what she had expected, completely the opposite in fact. She had found it too easy to tell her what the matter was, that they had rowed for the first time, and Nayalyn had provided the soothing words that Daine had needed to hear. Her lover, Rehan, had stood back, his dark eyes watching the scene in front of him. His calm presence had added to her alleviation, and she had automatically felt at peace with him. All of her nerves at meeting Numair's mother had been calmed by Nayalyn's words, "It's good to finally meet you, Daine." And then when she had discovered why the young woman was upset her gentle mutterings had managed to cease the tears and worried thoughts.

After Nayalyn had left Daine and Numair alone, he had cried like she had never thought him capable. He had always been so solid, so overtly capable of dealing with everything thrown at them. Even in the darkest months of the immortals war he had never broken, always knowing exactly how to handle each and every emotion that had been launched at them.

Their tears had resulted in kisses, words not necessary, as fingers did the talking and eventually a passion fuelled from fear and rage had burnt long into the night, welding them together in a way that Daine had never known possible. She had clutched at him, her nails engraving her signature on his skin, and his body moving almost roughly against hers. It was almost animalistic in the way that both of them fought for dominance, neither letting their feelings being controlled. In many ways Daine felt that they were still arguing in the way hands were burnt across skin and lips kissed coarsely, teeth grazing.

Afterwards, when they had both regained their breath, he had held her tenderly in his arms, his fingers tracing the marks on her body left from their lovemaking and previous battles. She had found that tears unwillingly spilt from her eyes, and when he asked, she could offer no explanation of why. He had kissed them away, catching each one as it fell, until desire of his proximity took over once more, and the dance this time was so tender it was almost painful, each movement too slow and controlled compared with before.

Now she ached, mentally and physically, with the evening's exhaustions. The morning sun had begun to infiltrate the room, its heat now fresher than before, lacking the heavy humidity of the previous few days. She moved out from Numair's arms and glided out of the bed, pulling his robe around her and looking out of the window. The sky was again cloudless, no blots of the landscape ahead, it seemed. One or two of the kitchen hands were crossing the land in front of her, walking from one side of the palace to the other, probably delivering breakfasts to those who had asked for them to be served in their rooms. Daine wondered how Nayalyn and Rehan had fared the night, and felt guilty that their arrival had been greeted as it had. However, she imagined that it may have done something to have broken the ice between Numair and his mother.

She looked at the sleeping mage, and wondered if it was best to wake him. It was still early in the morning and very few people would be up yet, given that many of the participants of last night's party had celebrated the feast of John Barleycorn by consuming much ale. For a few minutes she watched him sleep, his bare chest moving up and down with each breath, dark hair swept over the pillow, having fallen out of its tie in the night. She decided to let him sleep, and wandered to the chamber room, intending to take a warm bath to ease the aches and soothe her nerves now that the upset was over.

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Numair had sent a messenger asking his mother and Rehan to meet them in the breakfast hall. Daine had let him sleep, and he now felt rested and relieved of the pressures he had put on himself over the last few days. He had bathed and dressed simply, wearing a white cotton shirt and a pair of brown breeches, leaving any signifiers of his wealth in their boxes. He had no desire to show off in front of his mother and her partner, and he felt that wearing an overload of jewellery might make them raise their eyebrows.

The breakfast hall that Thayet and Jonathan used was smaller than that of the one used by the Riders and much more formal. Tables were set out so privacy could be ensured, and Numair was pleased to see that Nayalyn and Rehan had been led to a table discreetly placed against the sides of the room, and far enough away from the few other people in the room so that no one would over hear their conversation.

"Good morning," his mother addressed them as they sat down. Numair smiled broadly noticing the light in his ma's eyes as she had seen him and Daine enter hand in hand.

"Morning, ma. This is Veralidaine," he said, half pretending and half joking that the night before hadn't existed.

Nayalyn stood up and held her hand out to Daine. Daine accepted, and then found herself being pulled into a warm embrace and kissed on both cheeks.

"You are every bit as beautiful as Arram described," she said to the young woman, holding her at arms length and examining her with her eyes. "If not more so. Though I have to say, he did use some big words that I didn't know to depict you!" Daine laughed. "This is Rehan Ameen, my almost husband," she gestured to the tall, dark skinned man who had now stood up from the table. He leaned and shook Numair's hand vigorously, his face void of emotion, just studying what was going on around him. Numair could tell that he was deciding how to act so that he would fit in well with his lover's family, and not add to any awkwardness of the situation.

"It's good to finally meet you," Rehan said, his eyes meeting Numair's. "I know that your mother refers to you as Arram, but I think it is more fitting to address you as Numair. Would that be alright?"

Numair nodded, appreciative of the man's gesture. If he had called him Arram he would have felt as if Rehan was trying to impose something on his past. "And I am fine to call you Rehan?" Numair asked.

Rehan nodded. "By all means," he nodded. Numair then proceeded to introduce Daine and Rehan, although he knew they he met already, at least this gave them a formal beginning.

He sat at the table facing Rehan, knowing that if he and the man could show an understanding at first then it would ease the relationship between himself and his mother. "What did you do for a living?" he asked, hoping that he wouldn't cause any offence by the question.

"I used to work for the book binders in the capital. I managed one of the sections, usually proof reading and organising how quickly we could get a set of books made. Not as interesting as what you did, but I enjoyed it," Rehan answered warmly. "What does your job involve?"

Numair smiled, knowing that he had never really gone into detail in his letters about what he did. He began to explain, Daine interjected when she thought fit, elaborating on some of the things that he did for the king when she thought he was being too modest. By the end of the conversation he could see that his mother was flushed with pride and Rehan looked at him with a little amazement in his eyes. He smiled and felt Daine brush his knee with her hand.

Breakfast was a long event, and much was discussed. Daine told tales of court life and Numair saw that his mother looked at her with smiles in her eyes, obviously taken with her already. He had known that her fears would be unfounded, and that she would be well received. He understood that as long as she made him happy his mother would adore her. She wouldn't be bothered whether Daine had the right name, or was from a wealthy family. She had learned the hard way about relationships and the importance of love being there.

Rehan appeared to be a pleasant man. He was tall, with dark hair and skin, his face closely shaved and hair kept short and neat. He was obviously intelligent, although quiet and not particularly keen on enforcing his opinions on anyone. Numair likened him a little to Lindhall, quietly knowing. He could see what his mother had found attractive about him after years of dealing with his father. Numair warmed to him easily, and he hoped his mother could see that, although he imagined it had been one of the first things she had picked up on.

The maids had come in and were wanting to clear away the tables by the time they had finished talking. Outside he could see the brilliant sunshine lighting up the grounds and drying up any of the left over pools of rain from the previous night. He glanced at Daine, now back to smiling like normal, her hand closed round his as they walked out of the room into the courtyard. He had the overwhelming urge to pull her back into his arms and kiss her, but knew that it probably wasn't a good time to do it. She was laughing at something his mother was saying, describing how Arram was as a child and he felt a cross between pride and embarrassment. Pride in that Daine wanted to know these things and that his mother could remember – he knew his dad wouldn't have been able to – and embarrassment of the things she could tell. They stood for a few moments in the centre of the yard, Numair feeling the sun heating his back through the light shirt and wondering if at some point it would be possible to go to the river for a swim to ease the promised heat of the day.

"Shall Rehan and I take a tour round the palace?" Daine looked at him, then at Rehan and Nayalyn.

"That would be most kind of you, Daine. I expect Numair and Nayalyn have plenty more to catch up on, so it may be as well if we pass the time a little more… enjoyably?" Daine laughed at Rehan's acceptance, and took the arm he offered. She obviously liked him, which again, would make things a lot easier between him and his mother. They wandered off, Rehan having given Nayalyn a brief kiss before leaving. Numair watched as they wandered towards the stables, he would have guessed that that would have been Daine's first destination.

He regarded his ma, and saw a different woman to the last time he had been in her company. Her hair and skin shone with health and she had a sparkle to her eyes that he had rarely seen before. She seemed to have grown younger rather than older, even though she was now well into her sixties, having given birth to Numair at the age of thirty five. Her hair was white, but she had grown it long enough so it hung to her shoulders. It was thick, and had the slight kink to it that Numair's also possessed. He had given so much thought over the years to the effect that his father had had on him that he had never accounted for the parts of him that had been influenced by his mother. She had always been in his father's shadow, and now he realised that it should have been the other way round.

They began to walk to the forest at Numair's suggestion, knowing that the umbrella of trees would provide a little coolness from the sun that was beginning to get hotter, although the heat lacked the suffocating weight that it had possessed for the past two days.

"You look very well, son," Nayalyn said to him, a little awkwardly. "It suits you well here." They stopped and sat down on a bench that looked over a river with the trees hanging over it with branches drifting into the water. Enough glimpses of sun peeping through made it feel almost as if it was a fairy land, such was the quiet and serenity. "You've lost that scrawny look you had as a lad."

Numair laughed. "Daine's horse calls me the Storkman," he told her and was pleased to see her laugh. "You look well too," he said, tenderness in his voice.

Nayalyn smiled. "The Storkman would have been a good description of you as a child," she quietened for a moment. "I looked terrible the last time you saw me," she began. Numair prepared to listen. "I felt terrible for burdening your father onto you like that, but he was beyond what I could do. I know he was happiest here." She noticed the look of surprise on Numair's face. "He wrote to me twice," she explained. "Once after he got to the Tower and once just before he died."

"Did he ever ask you to come to him?"

Nayalyn shook her head. "He knew as well as I did that it was over. It had been over from the day his father came to stay with us. None of it was your fault, Arram. How you turned out the way you did is beyond me," she smiled and silence fell. Numair wasn't quite sure what to say, there was too much to know where to start.

"You've changed," he told her, still seeing her in the same light as he had when he was small and she had seemed like some minor goddess.

Nayalyn shook her head. "I was stifled by your father for years, Arram. If I had had my way you would have been born much earlier, but your father didn't want children. I wished I had known that before I married him. I wish I had known a lot of things before I married him. However, he did give me you, and that is a blessing."

Numair looked away at the river, the shallow water running across the rocks. His eyes felt hot with tears, but he knew that he had to get himself under control.

"I don't want to spend all my time here living out the past, son. I've come to get to know Daine and you, and hopefully you'll both get to know Rehan," she explained. "We could spend the next month talking about what happened in Tyra, but what good would it do? I might be able to lose some of my guilt about how you were brought up, but would it change anything between us?" He shook his head at her question. "Isn't it best if we live in the present, rather than the past?"

Numair nodded. "It seems a better option than spending days dissecting events," he agreed. "I would like you to get to know Daine."

"So would I," she responded. "I'm glad you've sorted out your argument."

Numair laughed. "That was the first we had had."

"Rehan and I have them all the time," she admitted. He noticed her eyes dancing.

"Really?"

She nodded emphatically, her hair bobbing with the movement. "Every couple has them, Arram, even if it's just for the making up afterwards."

He laughed, thinking of the making up he and Daine had had the night before and also at the notion of Rehan arguing. "I wouldn't have thought that Rehan was the arguing type?"

Nayalyn laughed. "Oh, he can exchange a few cross words when he's in the mood, don't let that calm exterior fool you! He's been a good and patient man, Arram, exactly whet I needed after your father."

Numair looked at her, his eyes wide. "I'm sorry about how my father was," he said quietly, somehow feeling responsible.

"Why?" She asked him. "How was it your fault? His actions were his own doing, not yours. It is me and him who should have apologised to you long ago. But as I said, let's not waste any more time trying to regurgitate the past." She stood up and straightened the summer skirt she wore long to her ankles. "I have a future daughter-in-law I wish to get to know."

He stood with her and smiled. "She hasn't properly agreed to marry me yet." His tone was a little like a boy who had not received the present he wanted.

Nayalyn laughed. "She is wearing your half ring, I noticed, and unless you are blind you must have noticed the way she looks at you. She will never be with another, Arram, and quite clearly, neither will you!"

He laughed, knowing the truth in what she had said as they made their way back to the palace, looking to find where Rehan and Daine had gotten to and begin what time they had left together by focusing on the present and leaving the past to evaporate in the glorious sunshine.

-----------------

Thayet watched Daine and Numair from across the table. Daine had obviously bonded well with Nayalyn, something that Thayet wasn't surprised about, and Rehan seemed to have won Numair's approval. Clearly, the two mages had resolved whatever difficulties they had come up against as she kept noticing them catch each other's eye and touch the other at every given opportunity. She wondered how long it would actually be before they did get married, and how long Daine would make him wait before giving him an answer to one of his frequent proposals.

She looked at her husband sat beside and recalled her acceptance of his proposal. They hadn't been in love, she knew. Lust, certainly. She could recall quite vividly tearing off his clothes before they were married. She had also liked him a lot, and had known that it would turn into love. By the time they were married it had, and she knew that although the stomach doing flip flops and heart racing moments had subsided, they had been replaced by something stronger and more enduring – love --in one of its purest forms.

She spotted Alanna, her arms around her husband's neck, happily advertising her feelings for him. George had loved Alanna for years before she had told him that she wanted to be with him. He hadn't proposed, it had been more of Alanna's suggestion that she wanted to be his. This was after her affair with Jonathan, a memory that had now safely been buried. Thayet smiled at the notion of Jonathan and Alanna having married. They both knew, and Alanna had obviously known at the time that one of them would have killed the other before the first child was born. George was more patient, and as the years had rolled by, she had seen their love grow, as Daine and Numair's was doing now. She saw Jonathan heap a large spoonful of some chocolate concoction into his mouth and jabbed him in the stomach, causing him to splutter and place the spoonful down on the plate.

"You'll get indigestion if you put all that in your mouth," she rebuked him.

He glared, setting impossibly blue eyes on to her. "I'll get indigestion from you continually poking me in the stomach," he warned, picking up the spoon once more.

"You'll get fat, Jonathan. Then you'll be too big to share a bed with me," she smiled pathetically.

Jonathan rolled his eyes and sighed, putting down the spoon and pushing the plate towards her. "Have it then! If it wasn't you after my dessert then it would be Kalasin, seeing as you've passed those sweet tooth genes on to her!"

Thayet smiled sweetly, picking up the already ladened spoon and demolishing its burden. "I see Daine and Numair are now friends again," she said, delicately licking a spot of meringue from the side of her mouth.

Jonathan nodded. "I told you they'd work everything out on their own," he said a little righteously.

Thayet smiled. "Yes, you're always right, dear, aren't you?"

Jonathan glared.

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There was to be no entertainment after the meal that night. Thayet had considered it but people seemed to be more inclined to spend the evening outdoors, milling in the fields or talking the courtyards which were awash with blooms of every colour, their sweet scent permeating the early evening air. It had cooled a little, people were now comfortably warm rather than feeling as if they were being broiled alive. Daine had left Numair, Nayalyn and Rehan to chat while she sought out Maura, feeling a little guilty for not having spent any time with her since she had arrived and determined to make it up to her.

She found her sat with a young man Daine recognised as being one of the squires. Although she knew a few of the knights to be, such as Neal or Queenscove, and Keladry, this one she didn't know the name of.

"Hello, Daine," Maura said as the wildmage approached. "Arland," she said to her companion, "I need to have a word with Daine. Can I come back to you in a bit?"

"Of course," the boy replied. "I'll wait here. But don't rush!" He smiled and Daine caught a certain look between the two.

"Shall we go and sit near the fountain?" Maura asked, practically dragging Daine that way.

"It seems I have no choice," Daine laughed at the younger girl's exuberance. They sat beside the fountain, the sprinkles of water landing on them were refreshingly cooling. "Well?" Daine began, knowing that Maura was desperately wanting to tell her something. Maura looked a little blank. "What is it you want to tell me about?"

"Arland. What do your think?" Maura said, excitedly. Daine smiled at her exuberance.

She tried to smother laughter. "Are you being courted by him?" She asked the girl, not managing to keep a straight face.

"Yes, I suppose. But why is it so funny?" Maura asked with wide eyes.

Daine shook her head. "It isn't, it really isn't. He seems a really nice young man."

Maura nodded. "He is. I really like him," she said, a little sadly.

"Why does that make you unhappy?" Daine asked, puzzled.

"Because at some point I'll have to go back to Dunlath and leave him here," Maura said wistfully.

"But until then you can spend a fair amount of time with him. Don't be so silly. Think of the Lioness, she has to leave her husband for months at a time. If you really have strong feelings like that for him that you will work something out," Daine did not feel qualified to be giving out advice like this.

Maura smiled. "He may have gotten fed up of me by then any how," she said, her face a little sad.

Daine shook her head. "I doubt it. I can see him now coming over for you. Obviously a few moments away from you is too long!"

Maura's eyes lit up as she turned round and caught sight of Arland. "Sorry, Daine," she winced as she stood up to go. "We've not had much time to talk yet."

"It's fine, Maura. Once Numair's ma and Rehan return we'll have lots of time. You're staying here until past Midwinter, aren't you?" Daine reassured.

Maura nodded. "Maybe longer," she said as she began to walk toward Arland, smiling at him as if he had been away for months rather than minutes.

Daine laughed and strode back to where Numair was sat with Nayalyn and Rehan.

----------------------------

That night, Daine and Numair took a gentle walk around the palace grounds, taking in the sights and sounds of the night time. Daine had spoke with the bat she had healed the night before and was now well and hunting for his dinner, taking care to avoid owls. They sat for awhile on the fence that surrounded the fields, Kitten playing in the long grass. She had been indulged by Numair's mother like she was a grand child, and the past two days of heat exhaustion that had been spent sleeping in her own little room were now a thing of the past.

Numair took Daine's hands in his own and looked at her closely. "Thank you," he whispered.

"What for?" She said curiously.

"For being you," he replied. She smiled at him warmly. It had been a strange day for them both, a strange sabbat really. They had taken stock of their own personal harvest and, she supposed, were celebrating it and the promise of more harvests to come. She leant forward and kissed him softly on his lips, savouring the feeling.

"I enjoyed the making up part of our row," she murmured as the kiss ended.

Numair grinned. "So did I," he leant toward her to kiss her again but his eyes was caught by a figure in the field. "Is that Maura?" He asked, pointing to what he had seen.

Daine looked, shielding her eyes with one hand from the setting sun's glare. She laughed as she realised who Maura was with and what she was doing. "It is. And that's Arland she's with, her beau."

Numair chuckled. "I hope that kissing's all they'll discover for a while," he said with a smile. "Although he is from a good family by all accounts and I'd imagine Jonathan would deem him a suitable husband for her."

Daine laughed. "She's not even thinking about marriage yet!" She cried. "Let her have time to find her feet within a relationship first."

"Is that what you're doing?" Numair asked, his tone becoming a little more serious. "Finding your feet with me before you promise to marry me?"

Daine regarded him closely. There was a look of pain in his eyes that she knew she was the root of. She had spoken to his mother about it that afternoon. Nayalyn had been remarkably helpful on the subject, alleviating Daine's fears.

"I'm scared that he might change his mind," she had said to the older woman. "That we will be trapped in a marriage like I saw so many of in Snowsdale."

"But you're not a Snowsdale woman, and he's certainly not a Snowsdale man. You both know each other well; it's not been a case of simply falling into bed with each other, your relationship has grown from more than that," Nayalyn had argued. "He wrote to me about you from when you first returned to the palace after saving him. He said that he thought you had wild magic and told me of the consequences that might have for you and Tortall.

"By the time you returned from Carthak his letters were only ever about you. I suppose I was an easy person to tell as I was so far away there were no consequences, but it became obvious that he had fallen in love with you.

"I already knew about your past, Daine, and where you had come from. You should never have worried about what I thought of you. Maybe I should have written to you myself. However, I always knew that it would take someone very special and different for Arram to fall in love. I wasn't completely sure that it would ever happen, given that his main experience of a marriage was mine and his father's, which wasn't a good example and he saw how I was trapped by it. So for him to want to marry, after experiencing a bad marriage, and to bring children into the world within it, with you, shows how much he truly loves you, Daine, and how much he believes that you and him are meant to be," Nayalyn kissed the girl on the forehead and left her to think, half knowing what the answer would be the next time her son proposed.

Daine recalled the conversation with Numair's mother as she wondered how to answer his question. "I have found my feet with you," she said, jumping off the fence into the field.

"So shall I ask you again?" He said, smiling hesitantly, knowing that he was risking another arrow to the heart.

"You'll have to catch me first!" And she began running into the field, wild flowers tickling her legs as he chased her into the summer sunset.

* * *

_Right people. The first chapter of Mabon (which is the final part of the sequence) is proving a hard write. I'll give you a hint of what will be to come... I'm hopping ahead nine years to after Daine and Numair have had Sarralyn and are now married. It will be a closing sequence and an excuse for lost of fluff - I had a few people say that they wanted to see a wedding etc, and I thought it would be quite nice to write, so I'll be dropping back to various events such as proposals, weddings, births etc. I doubt that any of the three chapters will be as long as this one (this is 6500 words long), although I hope they will be entertaining and that it will provide suitable closure._

_However... I need some encouargement, so **REVIEW!**_


	23. Mabon Part I

**Jess: **Thank you! I hope its okay. **Mage's Whisper: **I've been obsessive; however the chapter after this may take a couple of days as I've been busy at work and had to do other stuff. Thank you! **Feyrey: **It was a long chapter! Be prepared for more typos! Thank you! **Bitterosemary: **I think I've based a little of Thayet and Jon's relationship on my parents in laws! Thank you! **Lady Merlin: **No what? **Neals chick: **Thank you. **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you I hope this next story works. **Goldeneyedwildmage: **Thank you – it will be finished, expect the second chapter on Saturday and the last on Sunday. **Drop Your Oboe: **Thank you, it was! **Aravilui: **Thank you, that was very encouraging! I hope you enjoy the final three chapters. **Dolphin Dreamer: **That was the longest review ever. Thank you for all your hints – you are a fantastic reviewer! **Poodle14: **It was my favourite too! Thank you. **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you! **Nayala: **Thank you – I can't believe how similar your name is to the one I gave Numair's mum! **Silverlake: **I agree. I think she would be alright. I can't wait to read TP's book about Numair's early years through. **Sonnet Lacewing: **I agree about Arland. I liked him! Thank you, as always. **Music Nerd: **Why can't you post your own?

Disclaimer: It's all TP's

**A/N: **And so the headache of timelines begins…

This last part of the sequence is set during Mabon after the birth of Sarralyn, Daine and Numair's first child. In TC, it gives her naming ceremony as being held at Midsummer 462 and says that she is six weeks old, meaning she was born at Beltane and conceived around Lammas 461. According to the back of LK, the Immortals War is set in 452. Lady Knight takes place during 460, and Daine and Numair definitely weren't married then. TC starts in 462 and Daine and Numair were then married. So (as my brain implodes and my cuppa tea is going cold) I'm going to go out on a limb here people, and say that they got married at Midsummer 461, with Daine being 25 and Numair 39. If anyone is still awake this means that… and my head has exploded. There a reasonable timeline online that I will happily send out details for, however it only goes up to Squire. SO WILL SOMEONE PLEASE DO ANOTHER ONE! Thank you. This is set between the two Trickster books.

The reason I'm not doing a Mabon that immediately follows on from Lammas is because I did the Mabon when they were first together in A Stepping State and I didn't want to rehash old ground.

**Mabon I**

Chapter 1 – Gatherings

Daine sat back in the chair, her baby nestled in her arms. The small infant had finally decided to fall asleep, probably at the most inappropriate time, seeing as she and Numair were expecting guests to arrive at any point, and she would therefore be woken, again. Sarralyn Salmalin appeared to have inherited the stubborn gene from both of her parents, as well as the powerful lungs of her father, which had woken her already once today, causing her to show off the volume at which she could scream. Daine chuckled at the incident and at Numair's horrified reaction when his daughter had begun to exercise her lungs and waking her poor mother who was doing her best to sleep when Sarralyn slept. Numair had been making a potion to assist the spies that worked for George. It was rather like a truth potion, only it numbed the mind of the person being interrogated, making them think that they weren't actually giving anything away. It also by-passed any mind control that may have been working and thus was a powerful tool for the country's intelligence.

However, in the process of producing the potion, Numair had turned rather swiftly around and knocked over a large flame, and so setting himself on fire and yelling at the top of his voice. He had quickly put the flames out to the sound of his twelve week old daughter yelling at the top of her voice. He then ran straight into the room where she was with Daine, both mother and child now very much awake. Picking her up in his arms he began to soothe her, and quickly the yells were turned into gurgles and he felt his heart melt all over again. Daine had watched him cradle her, the look of unconditional love etched deeply across his face, and because of that look she was glad that he had woken them. Placing Sarralyn back in her crib he had gone to join Daine in the bed they shared and took her in his arms, the look of love still there, on both of their faces.

It was a cool day for the time of year. The leaves had already turned to their autumn hues and had begun to fall to the ground, squirrels and other animals were scurrying around, hunting for food that they could store away for winter and the waning sun had seemingly lost a good amount of its power, ready for the nights to begin to lengthen. Tomorrow was the autumn equinox, when the day and night were of equal length, but unlike Ostara, after tomorrow the nights would become longer than the days until Midwinter, when the sun god would be reborn and the days would start to grow once more.

Daine turned her head to the large window which looked out over the path to the Tower. They were expecting a party from the palace to arrive, as well as Alanna and George from Pirate's Swoop. Mabon was a quiet festival, and this year the monarchs had decided to spend it away from the palace, and have a gentle celebration with friends.

Daine sighed restfully and looked at the bundle in her arms. She still felt overwhelmed sometimes by Sarralyn; that she was responsible for her and that she was her daughter. She smoothed a finger down her baby's cheek, feeling its softness and warmth, revelling in the touch. The room was warmed by a large fire, set in a surround that was as old as the Tower itself. The room, although large, was cosy, with its dark wooden panelled walls and comfortably well padded chairs, the cushions of which were of a red material, embroidered with a golden thread. Various ornaments decorated the room, many pieces collected by Numair from Carthak and Tyra, which gave it a homeliness that Daine adored. She had considered this place her family home now for nearly ten years, since she had moved in with her mage. And now they had an addition to its occupants.

She heard the sound of hooves trot up the path, and a call from her husband followed by a familiar laugh. Looking to the window, she saw Alanna and George dismounting their horses, and handing them to a young boy whom Numair had employed to help out when they were living at the Tower. She stood up, careful not to disturb her baby and wandered to the door, wanting to greet their guests. Alanna spotted her and quickly strode over to her, her eyes focused on the little girl.

"She's grown," Alanna smiled, taking the bundle from Daine and holding her close. "I can't decide who she looks most like, you or Numair," she eyed the tall mage who was exchanging banter with George. Daine laughed, her eyes held on her daughter. "Hopefully she will have the best of both of us," she said, glancing up to her husband who was now helping George to carry in his and Alanna's belongings.

"How long can you stay for?" She asked Alanna, as the Lioness handed Sarralyn to George so he could coo over her.

"A few days," Alanna smiled. "Jon's pretty much ordered me to have a rest before torturing any more Scanrans."

George nodded. "An' I'd be happier if it was a permanent rest," he said quietly. Alanna pulled a face.

They settled in the sitting room, the warmth of which was a pleasant contrast to the cold outside. Daine sprawled out on her chair, Numair now resting with his daughter on his knee. There was a peaceful atmosphere in the room; the adults were old friends with no need for any grandeur or pretence and Daine felt relaxed in their presence. Their discussion was a quiet one; Alanna passing on the latest news of how their daughter, Alianne, was fairing in the Copper Isles. Daine noticed how her expression changed as she spoke of her only daughter, and her plight in foreign lands. She also noticed how Alanna had aged in recent months, the worry about her girl had caused a few lines and wrinkles to appear, and Daine wondered if Sarralyn would one day do the same by her. However, Alanna showed no sign of mellowing, bluntly ignoring George's remarks that she should leave the fighting to the younger knights and act in a more peaceful capacity. Daine understood George's point; since they had known each other, Alanna was always getting into scrapes of one kind or another, and for a good portion of their married life had been away, defending the realm. He wanted to see more of her now, and enjoy time together where he needn't be worried about her being called off to one war or another. Daine wondered how long it would be before Alanna finally gave in. She could see that the Lioness was not fighting back as she once had when the proposition had been mentioned previously; maybe she was going to consider it eventually.

George still looked much the same, with the twinkle in his eyes that missed nothing and his hair in much the same style as it had been when Daine had first met him, some thirteen years ago. She couldn't believe that it was more than that since she had come to Tortall, sometimes it seemed like only yesterday since she met Onua Chamtong and healed a falcon that had been Numair, then gone on to discover that she had wild magic.

She looked toward her husband, who looked very sleepy as he sat beside the fire, Sarralyn thankfully still asleep on his knee. She imagined that the entourage from the palace would arrive a little later, and then madness would descend for awhile, once Thayet, Jon, Onua, Sarge, Buri and Raoul walked through the doors.

The warmth of the room and the calm atmosphere seemed to be making everyone dozy. Their reflections had paused once both Numair and George had dozed off. Daine was weary, but she felt unable to sleep, even though she knew she should make the most of Sarralyn's nap. Her mind began to wander through time, since she had come to the realm and the things that had happened there. She smiled as she recalled Numair turning Tristan Staghorn into a tree and his reaction when he had found her unconscious in Dunlath's castle. She recalled the time in Carthak and how her heart had broken when she had thought he was dead, and the feelings she had had when she had seen him stood in front of her, very much alive. Her blood still ran hot when memories of their first kiss hit her, and the first time they had made love. And then the day she had finally told him she would marry him.

They had been at the Tower, escaping from palace life for a week or two after a hectic spring. Numair had been at his desk, working his was through a pile of books that had been discovered in one of the abandoned rooms under the palace. Daine had entered, bringing a plate of meat and bread that Raelyn had prepared, but was too hesitant to go and give it to Numair while he was working, even after several years of working for them.

For a few minutes Daine had just stood, watching him as he worked, his hair tussled by his fingers running through it and his brow lined with concentration. A few years previously she had assured him that they would marry, and agreed to wear an official ring to symbolise her promise. However, so far she had never agreed to a date, and he hadn't pressed her for one, seemingly content with her heartfelt assurances. To her, they were married and had been since that day in the divine realms when he had first told her he loved her. She had known then that their futures were inexplicably entwined around each other's, completely interdependent and reliant on each other. And so it had proved.

As she stood there and watched him, her heart began to flood, barriers were broken and she finally understood Nayalyn's words from all those years ago. She made the decision quickly, within a second and went up to her lover, close by, waiting for him to recognise her presence.

It took a few minutes. Numair was engrossed. She wondered what his reaction would be and how long it would take him to register what she would say. She stifled an excited laugh at the thought and fought to stop herself from bursting.

"Hello, Magelet," he looked up at her and smiled, and her legs felt as if they were about to give way from under her. He pushed the book he was studying away and turned to her. She noticed his hands were stained with ink from his quill, and that he had obviously been flustering with his shirt that was now ink-stained also. These little things made her heart swell and she went to touch his hair with her own fingers, feeling her eyes well up with tears with the strength of the emotion. He noticed – he always did - and took her in his arms, pulling her onto his lap.

"What's the matter?" He asked her softly.

Daine shook her head. "I think it's just the dust in here, it needs a fair clean," she thought up quickly. It was dusty in Numair's study as neither Raelyn nor Daine had dreamt of cleaning in there. "I'm going to take a walk outside and see what Kitten's up to by the trees," Daine smiled, hoping she had hidden her nerves well. "Why don't you come with me? You know you'll end up with a headache of you stay inside all day."

Numair nuzzled her neck with his long nose and shunted her off his knee, standing up and dusting off his clothes. "I think some air will clear my head actually," he looked around the room, at the masses of bookcases and piles of old books, some that looked like they hadn't been read for centuries and probably hadn't. "It could do with a bit of a clean. I may ask Raelyn if she'll dust inside it once we have returned to the palace," he said, a little absent mindedly.

Daine smiled, and thought that she'd better slip an extra note into Raelyn's pay for the trouble. She led the way outside, Numair babbling on about what he had read. She knew it wasn't for her benefit; it was just his way of getting things fixed in his mind.

They wandered outside in the warm spring sun, the sky spotted with a few light, white clouds that held no promise of rain. The early flowering plants had now blossomed, daffodils and hyacinths waving their heads to the tune of the breeze, their colour a sign of the glorious blooms still to come. Daine could hear the chatter of birds as nests were built and the frantic preparations of some animals as they awaited the birth of their young. She knew that she was probably in for another broken night of sleep like the previous night, when she had been up in the stables, helping a mare give birth.

She stopped him beside the lake they had often swam in at summer, where she had found the ring one year that had belonged to a woman who had thrown it away, not wanting anything to remind her of the broken promise that had effected her life. That ring had eventually been thrown into the sea near Pirate's Swoop, and the broken promise had been forever forgotten. The lake rippled in the soft wind, the reeds moving and creating their own gentle song. Mating frogs were visible, as were two drakes, angrily warring over a female who seemed blankly oblivious to the fight she was the cause of.

Daine could see Kitten playing happily with some of the local children, Tkaa watching over her. She was not a tiny dragon anymore, although Daine knew that she would never see her fully grown, and that Kitten would experience far more of life in Tortall than she or Numair ever would.

She heard Numair sigh, then continue about the properties of some gem or other whose name Daine couldn't pronounce. She smiled and placed a finger over his lips, attempting to silence him. He caught the finger and held onto it, still talking.

Daine smiled at him, knowing that once he realised the meaning of the words she was about to speak his silence would fall easily. "Numair," she said, managing to get him to pause. "I'm ready to get married if you still want to."

His silence lasted longer than Daine was expecting, the look of shock on his face dramatic. She worried, wondering if she had left it too long and tried his patience too much.

"Numair, will you marry me?" She asked, anxiety in her voice. He looked at her, his brown eyes wide open. She saw a smile begin to curl on his lips and the frozen look melted.

"Magelet," he began, searching for words that could sum up his feelings. "You know that's what I've wanted, of course I will. Are you ready to? If you are, we could arrange it for fairly soon."

She tried not to laugh. Clearly he felt as if he was treading on eggshells, trying desperately hard to not say anything that would make her change her mind. His arms were close by him, his face nervous. "Numair," Daine said, smiling, her hands reaching out to touch him. "I'm not going to tell you we'll do it in a few years, I want to marry you soon." He reached for her and she moved to him, their limbs becoming entangled and their lips meeting in sweet kisses. She became overwhelmed by removed double words the explosion that had happened in her chest and was now reverberating throughout her body. Tears of joy swam down her cheeks, and she found that they mingled with her future husband's.

"Finally," he whispered. "I was ready to wait forever, but I'm so glad I don't have to." He kissed her again and she found herself oblivious to the sights and sounds around her, engulfed by this new feeling, which if she'd known of, she would have had this day much sooner.

They had kept it to themselves for a few days, even after returning to the palace. Numair, she knew, had been dying to shout it from the rooftops, but the allure of having a secret that just they shared was too much and they managed to not announce it for several days.

Then they had felt they had to tell, wanting the marriage to take place at Midsummer, and knowing that they would need a few weeks to make preparations that Thayet would approve of. The queen had been ecstatic when she had found out, and Daine suspected that that wasn't just because of the prospect of having an excuse for an extra elaborate Midsummer. The whole of the palace seemed a little shocked, having become so used to them being a couple who were not married to now announcing their forthcoming handfasting ceremony.

Daine smiled in her chair, recollecting the commotion they had cause at court. They had been too engrossed in each other to notice, both deliriously happy with the prospect and making plans for the future. They had talked about having children in some depth, rather than just the slight remarks that had been made before, and Daine knew that she was sure of her future, and certain that neither would ever feel trapped or smothered by this marriage.

Numair still slept, their daughter snoozing contentedly on her da's lap. Alanna had also drifted off into Gainel's realm. Daine noticed George open his eyes and look at her, somehow automatically aware of her thoughts.

"Ye reminiscing, lass?" He questioned softly, smiling sleepily.

Daine laughed lightly. "About when I finally decided it was safe to marry," she said in the same quiet voice.

George nodded. "Ye kept Numair hanging on there for a mighty long time, not tha' he was ever going anywhere."

Daine smiled. "I fair wondered if I was mean by not marrying him sooner."

George shook his head. "No, lass. There's no rushing some things, and he knew that. He got what he wanted eventually and perhaps even more," he looked over to Sarralyn, and Daine's face softened automatically as she looked at the little bundle.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hooves approaching the Tower. She stood up rapidly, looking out of the window and seeing the rest of their expected guests arriving to celebrate the festival. George stood with her and they made their way to the old heavy doors, moving outside to greet the guests. The boy Daine employed to help was already there, taking the horses once the adults had dismounted, and obviously in some awe of the riders. It wasn't every day that he dealt with royalty. He had only just about gotten used to George and Alanna, let alone the actual king and queen.

Daine greeted Thayet, Onua and Buri, straining to embrace the latter over the large baby bump she carried.

"Not long now," she uttered to the woman, noticing her husband, Raoul looking at Buri protectively.

Buri shook her head. "Please don't tell me of any pain, though."

Onua shook her head, overhearing her quiet words. "It should be a breeze for you!" She joked, Buri responding by glaring evily.

Daine led the rest of the party into the house, both Alanna and Numair being woken by the disturbance outside.

"And what's this?" Jonathan said mockingly, as he noticed Alanna sat dozily in a chair. "You're meant to be my champion and you don't even wake when half a dozen people approach? That can't be right!"

Alanna glared at the king from across the room. "Your head mage has got so many protective spells around this place that I could hibernate without being worried."

Jonathan laughed loudly, waking the baby, who let out a single ear piercing yell to announce her presence. Numair picked up his young daughter and cradled her close to his chest, momentarily oblivious to the fact that nine pairs of eyes were watching him.

"You'll have to forget my husband and his loud voice," Thayet apologised. "He's a little out of practise with babies, although he usually forgot to keep his voice low when our five were young."

"See," Onua turned to Buri. "It can't be that bad if Thayet's gone through it five times!" Buri grimaced.

They settled down in the large sitting room, Sarralyn quieting down with the attention being lavished upon her. Raelyn brought in a selection of the home cooking she had perfected, causing Jonathan to wish that she worked in the palace kitchens rather than at the Tower.

"Is she going to be preparing the feast for tomorrow?" He asked as he ate a pasty in a rather undignified manner which he would never have gotten away with at the palace without being frowned upon by one of the elders.

Daine nodded. "She's had help from her mother and younger sister, but mainly it's been her doing."

"Does she have the Gift?" Jon asked, eyeing what was left of the snacks.

Numair shook his head. "She is simply talented. She enjoys cooking, and we make sure we pay her well." Jonathan nodded, his mouth too full to attempt to speak.

Daine looked around the room at the people gathered there. Mabon was a time to celebrate family and friends, the transition of the Great Mother Goddess into her third aspect of the Crone. It was a time to reflect back on the things that had passed, and give thanks for them, and prepare for the darker season that was to come, when everything would sleep and prepare itself for the rebirth in spring.

The gentle banter and chatter continued around her, Numair warning Raoul of the sleepless nights that would follow and Buri glaring at him unthankfully; Thayet clutching Sarralyn and obviously reminiscing over holding her own babies, two of whom were now married themselves. George and Jonathan were joining in the conversation with Numair, giving Raoul hints about becoming a father, many of which made Daine chuckle. No doubt she would have to disclose the story of the first time Numair changed a diaper.

She sat back and wondered where the festival would lead them, what memories would be told and which would stay private, etched on somebody's face instead. That night they would venture out into the fields, where a wicker man would be placed on the fire, a sign of the true death of summer, of the sacrifice of the spirit of vegetation, and of when Mabon was kidnapped and hidden in the mysterious place of Modron's womb until Midwinter.

Daine looked round, waiting for the stories to begin, then she heard a loud, heavy knock at the door. Numair stood up to open it, the knocking becoming more and more emphatic.

She heard an out of breath voice trying to speak, barely getting the words out. The everyone in the room looked up, the relaxed atmosphere dissolving as they heard Numair repeat the messenger's words.

"Raiders? At Pirate's Swoop?"

* * *

Let me know what you think. The next chappie will be up on Saturday and the final one on sunday. I apologise that there won't be one tomorrow but I've been very busy with work as I'm going to be off for two weeks as from Monday, and I've had to have everything prepared for my class. So please review... 


	24. Mabon Part II

**Lime63: **The time line site is as follows - you for the review, it was nice to hear from you again! **Aravilui: **Thank you! Congratulations on winning! **Music Nerd: **I don't like the idea of any of them getting old. It's slightly perturbing! **Dolphin Dreamer: **The little things are the easiest things to write. I like doing detail, its something that seems to come easily. Thank you! **Goldeneyedwildmage: **Thank you. Computers can be a pest most of the time, especially with regard to the internet. As for your question, you will have to read what's at the bottom of this chapter. **Feyrey: **Thank you. Surprisingly I thought that Mabon I was my worst chapter, it was certainly the hardest to write. **Bitterosemary: **Thank you! **Silverlake: **Thank you. **Daine's Daughter: **I didn't get it – thank you for trying to send it though. Can you email it me, my address is sarah underscore makin at hot mail dot com, if you put it together with the symbols instead of some of the words! **Sonnet Lacewing: **Thank you. I'm amused with what you said in your review! Hehe. **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you! **Jess: **Thank you! Hope you're okay! **Neals Chick: **Thank you – raiders indeed!

Disclaimer: The usual disclaimer applies.

**Mabon Part II**

Chapter 2 – Marriage

From the information Numair had had to draw from the messenger's mind they had realised that a small band of raiders had docked at Pirate's Swoop with the thinking that the king and queen were residing there. Alanna had automatically assumed that some attempt would be made to take either Thayet or Jonathan, probably for a try at a rather dim witted ransom demand.

However, the Lioness had stood up straight away, obviously intending to immediately go to her home and rid it of the attackers. George had mirrored her actions, Numair, Jon, Sarge, Onua, Raoul and Thayet also leaving hurriedly. Jon turned to his wife and shook his head. "This will be a small attack from what we've heard, and probably over by the time we get there. However, if something should happen to me as we've underestimated them, you will still be here," he explained, grabbing a thick robe to keep him warm on the journey.

Thayet sighed and sat back down. "I could look after Sarralyn and Daine, you could go?" She suggested.

Daine looked at her daughter and felt the dilemma. If she stayed she would be continually worrying about Numair and how she could have helped. She considered leaving Sarralyn with Thayet and Buri, but she had the niggling feeling that it wouldn't be wise, just in case the attackers were cleverer than they had thought and had planned an ambush on the Tower. Pirate's Swoop and the Tower were close enough and well known enough for them to target the Tower as well, particularly if they were unsure which location the king and queen were staying at.

"I'll stay," Daine announced. "If it is a small party than they'll likely have been stopped by George's men by the time you get there. Why not take Tkaa and Kitten?"

Numair shook his head, pulling on boots he wore to ride. "We are leaving you unguarded. They can stay here and help out if the need arises. I will let you know the outcome before we head back," he kissed her, wishing he could linger, and then kissed his daughter's cheek, the last to leave the room.

Daine watched through the window as they left, listening to the click of the hooves as they rode away. She recalled the last time they had celebrated a sabbat at the Tower and had to go to Pirate's Swoop after an attack by the former Lord Synthia. She looked at her two companions, Buri, heavily pregnant, and Thayet, looking rather furiously at the dwindling figures heading away from them. Daine laughed at her expression, obviously frustrated at not being able to go and help. Thayet tried glaring back at her, but found she couldn't, and began to smile herself.

"I know they will be fine. I doubt they actually needed to all go back, as it is probably just a handful of idiots thinking they'll be able to have a good go at Pirate's Swoop as everyone will be relaxed because of the sabbat. But there was no way Alanna could leave it be," Thayet sighed, her eyes going back to the window, although no trace was left of their friends.

They heard Buri give a strange sound from the chair where she was sat and both pairs of eyes rushed to her. She was very near due, and Daine felt slightly concerned that with Alanna gone, there was no healer present in case she went into labour. In fact, Daine was surprised that Buri had come at all, given the journey and the stage of her pregnancy. But very little could stop the woman from joining in what she wanted to do, and Daine imagined that if Raoul had put up a battle against them coming he would have lost -- dramatically. And maybe painfully too.

Daine took Sarralyn from Thayet and cuddled her close, wondering what thoughts would be going through Numair's head as he rode to Pirate's Swoop. He had been looking forward to a quiet holiday, Daine just hoped that the reminder of it would be calm and serene, and that whatever trouble had hit Alanna's home would be quickly resolved, hopefully before they even got there. She realised that Sarralyn needed changing, wrinkling her nose up a little at he smell. She kept a change of things downstairs, hidden in one of the cupboards in the sitting room. It saved having to climb the countless flights of stairs, carrying a sometimes screaming baby.

Thayet smiled as she saw Daine take out the necessary equipment. "I'll change her in the other room," Daine said, not wanting to offend her guests.

Thayet laughed. "I have no problem with it. My sense of smell was slaughtered after the third child!"

Buri sat up straight and watched interestedly. "I should probably watch and refresh my memory as to how it's done," she murmured. "Although I am looking forward to seeing Raoul change a diaper," her tone became a little evil.

Daine grinned as she set to work on a task that she could have done with her eyes shut now. "It won't beat Numair when he first did this," she smiled. "He hadn't seen me do it properly, so he didn't really know what to expect," she began to laugh, putting down the little tub of cream that one of the palace healers had given her to help with Sarralyn's nappy rash. "It was shortly after Midsummer, so she'd just stabilised in this form, and her stomach was particularly… let's say it was working well. Anyhow, he undid the diaper and fell backwards, shouting me over like some terrible immortal had appeared. He ranted on about why it was so black and smelly and was something the matter; he just couldn't understand that it was normal for a young baby!" Daine carried on laughing. "I'll never forget the look on his face!"

Thayet and Buri joined in the laughter. "Jonathan always tried to make an excuse to not have to change a diaper. One day I just ignored him so he had to. By the time I came back into the room he had the diaper on his head and was attempting to find a spell that would put it on. He had no idea either," Thayet said, her tone dry.

Buri shook her head. "I'm not sure about Raoul. I think he will want to be a part of things like that, he's keen for us to take equal roles in all of this, partly because he's already seen his friends become fathers and this was something he really wanted."

Thayet nodded. "I'm sure it will still be an interesting experience watching the first diaper change. You'll have to commit it to memory and give us a full report on it," she suggested, her eyes dancing with amusement.

Daine began to laugh again as a memory crossed her mind. Sarralyn was now dressed and in her arms, her eyes looking round the room as if it was a completely new place. "I remember the stories I heard about Jonathan the night before your wedding," she looked at Thayet who rolled her eyes, although the look on her face told of the fond recollections she had of that day.

"If that story was public knowledge there'd be an outcry about Jon's ability to run a country!" She said with a smile.

"What exactly happened?" Daine asked, never having heard the story from Thayet before, only from Onua who had received the tale third or fourth hand.

Thayet shook her head, laughing. "Jonathan would have me beheaded if he knew I was still telling this! The night before the wedding he was accosted by Gary, Raoul and George and taken up to the suite of rooms that we now use. At the time, the rooms were empty as they had just been decorated for our marriage. Naturally, the other three came armed with more ale than it is humanly possible to drink and set about attempting to sup as much of it as possible," Thayet smiled, a mischievous glint in her eye. "They managed to get Jonathan completely intoxicated, then carried him down to he stables and tied him onto his horse and rode out to where the large oak tree is in the middle of the meadow. They stripped him and tied him to the tree and left him there. It wasn't till the morning when Duke Gareth went looking for him in a hurry that he was found, but thankfully it was early in the morning and no one else had discovered him. Jon was completely oblivious to his state and the fact that it was his wedding day. The healers managed to sort him out though; otherwise we may never have married!"

Daine and Buri laughed at the story, Daine well imagining the scolding Jon had gotten off Thayet when she had found out the sorry tale.

"How did you find this out?" She asked the queen curiously.

"Duke Gareth actually told me. I think he was too annoyed with Jon to speak to him, so he wanted me to rebuke him instead. I went into his rooms, not caring of the notion that the bride shouldn't see the groom before the wedding, and yelled at him till I was blue in the face. Jon tried to cover his ears with a pillow, so I just shouted louder," she smiled at the memory. "I think it was then that it was decided who was the boss!"

Buri laughed. "Raoul ended up in? a tree the night before we were married, and I have to say that it was your husband, Thayet, who instigated the whole thing!"

"It would be only fair he got revenge!" Thayet defended him.

"How did he end up a tree?" Daine asked. She had heard a few tales about what Numair had gotten up to the night before their wedding, although it was still too recent for him to confess anything to her.

Buri shook her head, taking the baby Daine offered to her and nestling down with her. "From what I know, which isn't much at the moment, certain items of importance, such as the rings we were to exchange, had been tied to branches at the top of a tree. Raoul got a pair of ladders and managed to climb up to the first lot of branches, not having the sense to realise that they were egging him on to do it for a reason, and then they removed the ladders so he couldn't get down. Of course, George's home brew had something to do with the notion being born, and I believe it was Jonathan's idea," she glared at Thayet. "He was stuck up there for the rest of the night and it was only when Gary came to wake him up in the morning that he realised that Raoul hadn't managed to get down that anyone went to put the ladders back!"

Daine laughed loudly. Raoul was a big, well built man, and she knew he would have had an uncomfortable night up the tree. She could also imagine his wrath and annoyance at Jonathan and the rest involved. "What did he say to you when you found out?" She asked Buri.

"He just looked at me with big eyes and said that he hadn't wanted anything to happen to the rings as he didn't want our wedding to be spoilt," she laughed. "Basically he was too idiotically stupid with all the jesting and encouragement to realise that he could have just gotten one of the squires or pages to climb the tree, and was a bit foolish doing it himself."

Thayet grinned. "You didn't fall for the big eyes did you?"

Buri made a noise that showed her disgust and shook her head. "Hardly. I've known him for far too many years to be taken in with things like that. Yet he still tries," she ended, grinning. "I know a few things about Numair's wedding eve," Buri looked at Daine impishly.

Daine looked back at her with the same wicked glint. "I've heard a few things, but not much, so tell!"

"From what Raoul has told me, they decided to take Numair into Corus to sample some of the finer brews available. However, Harailt had decided to arrange to see off Numair in a finer style and had ordered a couple of dancing girls to provide some entertainment," Buri said, Sarralyn resting on her baby bump.

Daine started to laugh. Numair didn't drink too often, although he could handle more of it than the likes of Jonathan and Harailt. She doubted that he would have been very amused with the dancing girls, although it was just the type of thing Harailt would enjoy, even through he was now a married man with three children.

"Numair apparently was coping well with the drinks that were being bought for him, although Raoul did say that most of them were laced with stronger spirits," Buri continued.

"He'll have spelled the drinks so they didn't affect him," Daine said knowingly. "He was a bit worried about that night and what they would do to him, so he carried a gem that was an alcohol neutraliser."

"Jonathan could do with one of them," Thayet muttered under her breath.

Buri laughed. "That would explain it. These dancing girls came in and Harailt pointed them in the direction of Numair. Raoul said that Numair somehow managed to get them to believe that it was Harailt getting married, so they latched themselves to him, and began their routine and ended up thoroughly embarrassing Harailt in front of the whole room. Raoul won't tell me exactly what happened, he just laughed, but I think Numair managed to get away quite lightly," she finished, watching Daine's face. Most wives, she knew would be a little perturbed to know that their husband spent the eve of his wedding watching semi naked girls dance provocatively, but Daine didn't bat an eye lid. She knew that after ten years of living together Daine would never doubt Numair's commitment to her, and his effort in diverting the girls onto Harailt would not have surprised her.

"Why on earth would Harailt think dancing girls would be an idea?" Daine giggled.

Thayet laughed. "Back when Harailt and Numair were both single I think they enjoyed the odd night out in such places. Maybe it was a bit of reminiscing on Harailt's part as those nights weren't likely to happen again," she suggested.

Daine nodded. "That sounds fair right. Poor Harailt!" She got up, her eyes looking out of the window, as if she expected to see the rest of the party return at any minute. "Would anyone like a drink?" She asked, heading toward the kitchen. Both of the women nodded yes and continued their conversation about their husbands and their various escapades, none of which portrayed them in a particularly glowing light. Diane brought in a hot drink, made of herbs, that she knew would be particularly good for Buri at the stage of her pregnancy. She then took Sarralyn into the kitchen to feed her, untying the front of her shirt and altering the special breastband.

She gazed at their daughter as she fed at her breast and thought of the wedding that had led up to her making. It had been held at the Midsummer of the previous year, and the Goddess had granted them a luxurious day of crystal clear blue skies and a light warm breeze that helped to keep people from feeling too hot.

Daine had spent the eve of the wedding with Thayet and Onua, in Thayet's rooms, from which Jonathan had been banished for the occasion. She hadn't felt especially nervous, she had had no wedding night rituals to worry over, having shared a bed with Numair for nine years already. All the preparations had been put in place with Thayet's military precision and there was nothing left to do besides chat and sleep so she would be fresh for her day.

Her dreams had been filled with the Badger, a rare occurrence these days, and she heard him wish her well and tell her she had chosen a good mate to have kitts with. When she had woken she recalled dreams that looked like visions of the future and she wondered if Shakith had decided to show her some of the things that lay in store for her. She had seen a little girl with her hair and stubborn chin, chocolate brown eyes like Numair's and her head in a book. She had seen a small boy following Numair, the very image of the tall mage, but for lighter skin and a curl in his hair even though it was kept short. And she saw another girl, her hair jet black and straight, grey serious eyes peeping out from long eyelashes, and she wondered if this was their third child. Daine smiled when she woke, knowing that the morning sun brought a new chapter in the rest of her life.

Thayet had entered the room baring a tray with a light breakfast of scrambled eggs, orange juice and hot tea. Putting the tray down, she had sat on the bed at the side of Daine and smiled.

"How's your stomach?" She had asked, already dressed with her hair tied up in an elaborate style.

Daine looked down at the breakfast and wondered how much of it she would be able to eat, feeling as if someone was jumping up and down inside her belly. "It's churning," she answered, smiling ironically.

Thayet nodded. "I was sick several times before I got married. Alanna, however, was just in an incredibly good mood the day she wed George, no nerves at all, or so she let on."

Daine had begun to eat a little of the breakfast, Thayet staying at her reassuring best. Once she had eaten as much as she could stomach, she was led to a warm bath that had been ran for her and then found herself being pampered. She missed Numair, having become so used to waking up with him when they were at he palace, and she missed the words he would have said to her to ease her nerves. She wondered if he was as nervous as she, and how long it would take him to get ready on such a day, when he would be the centre of attention for the duration.

Once she had washed and had her hair tamed Thayet came in to help her with her dress. Since Daine and Numair had announced when they were to get married Thayet had been busily making Daine's dress for the occasion. Most people, when they were married wore their best clothes, the bride often in blue to symbolise her purity. Daine had laughed at this when Thayet had told her the reasoning behind the colour, and suggested that the usual shade of blue was lighter, and a little less traditional.

So the dress had been made, keeping to a simple pattern that would emphasize the young woman's best features without being blinding. It was in a light shade of grey blue, which brought out the colour in Daine's eyes. The material was a dull satin, and heavy enough to make Daine glad to have it removed at the end of the day. Thayet knew from experience of making gowns for Daine before that the simpler the design was the more it would suit her, so the dress ended up coming almost to the floor with a slight flare. It nipped in at the waist, was fitted around the middle and was supported at the top with two small straps, the neck coming down low enough to make Numair gasp when he saw it.

Her hair had been piled on her head, tendrils falling down from it, and her face painted a little to accentuate her cheekbones, full lips and lashes. When she looked in the mirror she couldn't quite believe it was her. The girl had gone, and the glass reflected a woman who did, by no means, look to young for the groom. For a second Daine knew with every ounce of her that this was the right thing, and there would never be any regrets. Her eyes had welled with tears as she turned to Thayet, desperately trying to hold them back.

"Daine," Thayet had began, her voice soft. "If you start to cry now you won't stop and you'll muss your face."

Daine had smiled and pulled herself together, the older woman straightening out the dress and making sure that everything was as it should be. She had opted for a shorter veil than tradition decreed, not wanting the usual long, yellow material that covered the bride's head from the morning until the couple returned to their rooms at night to consummate the marriage. Instead her veil was a fine lace that was very sheer, in the same shade as the dress. Her face could be seen through it and as it only covered the front of her, the hair style was still visible too.

Her maids had been dressed in the same shade of material. Wearing the same type of clothes as the bride was meant to confuse any malevolent spirits, and stop them from attacking the bride. Daine had chosen some of the younger girls of the palace to be maids; Lianne, Alianne and Harailt's twin girls, Ain and Annam, who were just five years old and highly delighted to be part of it all. Daine had debated having Kitten, but the young dragon had recently developed an air of dignity and had let Daine know that she would prefer to stand at the front of the ceremony with the king and queen.

She had walked with her party to the meadow where George's mother would perform the handfasting ritual in her role of High Priestess. She had carried flowers that Onua had arranged, lilies, roses and an assortment of beautiful wild flowers. Sheaths of wheat were tied into it as a fertility symbol.

Animals had gathered to watch the proceedings. Daine had noticed the Long Lake Pack in attendance, as she had expected. Zek, the little pigmy marmoset she had rescued from the Zekoi river in Carthak was sat on Cloud's back, joined by the female marmoset he had met shortly after they had returned to Tortall. Daine's eyes had filled with tears as she saw her old horse. Cloud was not the young pony she had once been, yet she had not lost her biting tongue. _Don't start to cry yet! _Daine had heard her say. _No one wants a bride with red eyes, especially the stork man! _Daine had smiled and continued walking towards Eleni.

Thayet had made her pause near a copse for a moment. Daine had stopped, wondering why she was being made to wait, particularly when she was late already. Then she saw why; a tall man with antlers appeared from the trees, accompanied by a woman in green with fair hair and a beautiful face.

"Ma! Da!" Daine had cried, opening her arms to them, not wanting to run in case she should spoil her dress.

Her mother had already begun to cry, gushing over how she looked, and that she couldn't believe her daughter was getting married. Weiryn had said very little, merely offering his arm and leading them onto to the waiting party. Daine was aware that her father was now intending to take his traditional part in the ceremony, although she wasn't sure how traditional it would be, given that he only wore a loin cloth. Originally she hadn't wanted this part to be included, but up until now she hadn't thought that her parents would be able to attend the wedding. Now she was just glad they were her, and felt a little glow inside her that her da wanted this role, and also accepted Numair as his daughter's husband.

The rest of her memories seemed like a blur. She had walked through their guests as they made a path way for her, her eyes had been fixated on Numair, who stood wearing tan breeches and a white shirt, both made out of the same material as her dress. He had looked apprehensive and worried when she had first seen him, noticing his expression before he saw her.

Then the look on his face had changed as he had caught sight of her. There eyes had met and she felt the same pulse of electricity she nearly always had when she looked at him and found that she couldn't move her eyes away.

Her father led her to him, and then silently bent down and removed one of her shoes. He handed it to Numair, a look of amusement on his face. "You have already looked after my daughter well for many years, although it was without my permission," Weiryn handed him the shoe. "Now I give my permission to you. See you look after her well," he almost growled, and then stepped to the side. Daine smiled, noting he look of relief on Numair's face that Numair had officially shown he thought he was worthy for her.

Eleni had then begun the ceremony, calling for the presence and the blessing of the Great Mother Goddess and then beginning to tie Daine and Numair's wrists together with a strip of leather, their hands making the sign for infinity. Daine had not really heard her words; she had been too captivated by the look in her new husband's eyes, showing her the world, as Eleni had declared them to be together for as long as their love should live.

The day had continued with the celebrations, although Daine barely remembered anything bar the feeling of happiness and the unwillingness to move from Numair's side. He had been just as bad, his eyes watching her wherever she went; now that he had managed to marry her he was not going to let her out of his sight it had seemed.

That night, when the dress had been lost to the floor and the pregnancy charm had been tossed into a drawer before making love with a new sense of possession and comfort, Daine had afterwards curled into her husband's arms and wondered why they hadn't done this earlier.

She rested Sarralyn in one arm and fastened up her shirt, putting a muslin cloth over her shoulder before lifting the baby up and winding her, rubbing her back gently. She wondered how her husband was getting along at Pirate's Swoop, and when he would be back so she could share with him the memories she had been enjoying.

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Numair had reached Pirate's Swoop in what he thought must have been a record time. To the sea he could spot a large boat which he guessed had contained the raiders. The boat seemed empty, so he imagined that its passengers were now on ground. They could hear the sounds of battling and Alanna ran to where the noises were coming from, followed by Raoul. George headed straight for the building, Numair and Onua following. Sarge had spotted what looked to be a raider and had managed to grapple with him, his strength keeping him captive for George to interrogate.

Within half a minute George had extracted the information that he needed from the man. There had been fifty men on board the boat, all but one of them were now within the grounds of the Swoop with the intentions of taking the king or queen back with them. George had laughed out loud when the man had told him this.

"Half your men have been captured or killed already!" He had exclaimed. "The other half will soon be in the same predicament!" One of George's men who guarded the Swoop had already found him to report that the situation had been contained, and it wasn't necessary for George and Alanna to have returned. George had merely laughed. He was a proud man, and would not let anything stop his defence of his home, whether it was from an invasion of Scanran soldiers or a flock of magpies intent on doing damage.

Numair and Onua had returned outside to help with any captives that they could. Numair found fun in capturing them in a web of his gift, leaving them magically tied up and in the mercies of George's men who then took them to the cells underneath Pirate's Swoop. Onua impaled a few with her bow, not killing them, just enough to stop them from going anywhere.

Numair was engrossed in catching one man who was making his way quickly back to the sea when he saw a flash of light next to him. Turning to his side he saw that Onua was no longer there; just her bow lay on the ground. He looked out to the boat, sitting seemingly empty in the waves, but for a diminishing glare of brown light. He closed his eyes briefly and cursed. The attackers had wanted someone they could hold for ransom. The king or queen would have fetched the best price, however, one of their friends would obviously do as well.

George ran over to him, his face bemused. "We seem to have caught them all in one way or another, do you want o contact…" He stopped, seeing the look on the mage's face.

Numair turned to him. "There was a mage on the boat -- one that's obviously used a screening spell as I didn't sense him. He's taken Onua."

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Daine sat with Sarralyn in her arms looking out of the window. Dusk was settling rapidly and the rest of their party had been gone for some time with no word as to how they were. The conversation between herself, Thayet and Buri had lulled, all three becoming increasingly worried about what had gone on at Pirate's Swoop. Daine had asked a few of the birds in the vicinity to fly over to it and report back what they had found. She had sent some animals to see it they could help in any way without getting themselves injured. But she knew that she would not rest until she knew how everybody was.

She watched as Buri stood up, obviously uncomfortable, and began to pace around the room. Her face contorted with pain and she went for the nearest chair. Thayet and Daine both stood up and went to her, passing each other a knowing look. Buri looked up at them both half a minute later, her face calmer and more relaxed.

"I think the baby's coming," she said, managing the tiniest of worried smiles.

* * *

This next chapter - Mabon III - will be my last for a while. I have really enjoyed writing these DN stories, but I'm a little strung out with them now and I really want to start my own book while I have some time to do it. I have no doubt I will be back, I have an idea for a long DN story and a oneshot that I do want to do at some point, but it might bea few weeks. Mabon III will be up tomorrow.

So, for the penultimate time - _**REVIEW!**_


	25. Mabon Part III

**Bitterosemary: **I am starting my book, probably at the end of this week as I'm having a minor op tomorrow and will be off work for a fortnight, so I though that now would be as good a time as any. Thank you for all your reviews! **Celuna Cirrus: **Thank you! The longest chapter of the story was actually Lammas III! That was mammoth! I have an idea for a longer DN that will be called Stones, and I will be back to write it in a couple of months. Thank you for all your reviews! **Feyrey: **Thank you – I had no idea I was doing a double scene, it just happened! Thanks for all your reviews. Expect the first chapter at the end of the week (if that's okay?). **Music Nerd: **Thank you for your reviews! I hate the idea of them aging! When I do do another DN fic it will be set when Daine's 17 and Numair's 31 – keep 'em young! **Sonnet Lacewing: **Thank you for the reviews and looking through, you're a star! You'll probably get chapter 1 at the end of the week, but I'll 'talk' to you before then! Ttyl **Neal's Chick: **Thank you for all your reviews. My book is going to be contemporary fiction rather than fantasy, and if I ever manage to get it published, I'll PM you! **Dolphin Dreamer: **I dreaded this final chapter to. Fanfic is so safe to write. I feel quite scared going it alone so to speak. I will PM you about the reader bit for my book. **Drop Your Oboe: **Thank you – I will let you know if my book will ever be published! Its funny, but writing that chapter I thought a similar thing! Thank you for your reviews! **Poodle14: **Thank you for your reviews. I will probably do another DN in a couple of months! **Daine's Daughter: **Thank you I will check it out. Thank you for all your reviews. **Silverlake: **I will miss updating! Thank you for all your reviews! **Goldeneyedwildmage: **Thank you! I certainly won't forget fanfic – I'll still be reading it, and I will more than likely write another one in the near future. I'm really going to miss updating (sob sob). Thank you for all your reviews! **Aravilui: **Thank you! I have really appreciated all your reviews. Good luck with the rest of your cheerleading comps!

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, you've all been stars and have really encouraged me to write my own book. If I ever do manage to get something published, you'll be to thank!

Disclaimer: It's not mine, it's Tamora Pierce's.

**Mabon Part III**

Chapter 3 – Up All Night

George looked worriedly at Numair. "When did this happen?" He asked.

"Just now. The man on board the boat must be a mage. He's used a herusectic spell to pick Onua up and transport her over to him," Numair said angrily. "It's a complicated spell and it would almost drain me, so either the mage is s strong one or he's got energy stored in a black opal he's tapped into." Numair began to walk to the cliff face that dropped down to the sea. "I'll have to get her. I imagine he's bound her rather like I did with the raiders."

"How are you going to get to the boat?" George called.

"Swim," Numair replied. "I'll jut make sure the boat won't move anywhere first." He held out his hand and George watched as a bolt of black lightning speckled with silver flecks wrapped itself around the vessel. "How deep is the water here?" Numair asked, casting a quick look at George before pulling of his robe and throwing it to the ground.

"Deep enough to dive into," George answered. "Will I be any use to come with you?"

Numair considered for a moment and nodded. "I can entertain our friend while you help her get back to shore. Luckily, the boat's not too far out."

George pulled off his shirt and followed the mage as he dived in. He opened his eyes under the clear water and saw Numair hold an open hand to him and a jet of the same Gift fly out. For a moment George wondered if he had been attacked, and then realised he hadn't, he was just now able to swim remarkably quickly.

They reached the boat in good speed, and George felt remarkably alive and unexhausted. Numair had located the ladder that led up to the deck and the two men clambered aboard with as much silence as they could manage.

George could see that Numair was sensing where the mage was, his eyes were stony with concentration and his expression stern. He followed the tall man down some steps to the cabin. Numair pointed for George to enter a room, understanding the signs he used to mean 'stay there till I call you'. He waited patiently for what seemed an eternity before he heard a bang followed by the sound of something falling over. He figured that Numair had found the mage.

Numair recognised the woman as soon as he saw her. She had been one of the few female students at the university in Carthak when he had been there, although she had been three years older than him, he had shared some classed with her. She was Scanran in descent, and he knew that she certainly had not at any point been allied with Ozorne, and was unlikely to have been associated with Scanra in its war against Tortall. Likely she had rallied some men in order to try and attain herself some wealth. He faced her, having already noticed Onua unconscious in the corner, looking like she had been stunned with a sleeping spell. The mage he faced was a powerful one, but no more so than the average Carthaki student. He had correctly assumed that some power had been stored and he noticed the black opal on a silver chain around her neck.

"Nice to see you again, Zilya," he said, smiling at the woman.

"You too, Arram," she replied. "Still quite the heart throb with your clothes sticking to you. Very much the hero."

He was surprised at how she had aged; the deep lines around her eyes and the grey streaks in her hair, which surprisingly she hadn't dyed. He wondered briefly if he looked very aged compared to when she had seen him last. His still took care of himself, his hair showed as much grey as it had at the age of thirty, his skin was still smooth and he thought he could pass for younger than his forty years. It also helped, he knew, having a young wife and a very demanding baby daughter. His heart softened and ached for the two women in his life and he had the sudden urge to be with them immediately. Zilya looked at him, her hand raised, about to strike. Numair laughed, slightly moving his hand. Within a second she had dropped to the floor, collapsed unconscious in a heap. He reached down and moved her head so he could get to the black opal around her neck. Touching it he felt the magnitude of its magic and wondered how many people with the gift she had injured or even killed to own their power.

Numair called for George, bellowing out loud enough so that he would hear him. He had been quite surprised by George's compliance with going into the room and not attempting to follow him. However, Numair knew that George did not play at being a hero. He would not have been able to defend himself had Zilya struck him, and would have distracted Numair from capturing her through having to defend him. Numair was surprised when no answer came. He shouted again as he examined Onua, uttering a few words that would remove the spell. The water that dripped off him as he leaned over her seemed to work almost as well as wake flower and her eyelids peeled open, revealing blood shot eyes.

"Where am I?" She asked, disorientated.

"On board the ship that the raiders came on. The mage who was with them decided you'd be good as bait for a ransom," he told her. "George is here too, and I really must find where he's got to. Will you be okay here for a moment?"

She nodded. "I think I'm going to be sick anyhow and I'd rather do it alone," she gestured for him to leave.

Numair stood and exited the room, not enjoying the sway of the boat on the water. He reached the room where George had gone and opened the door. The assistant spymaster had lit several candles, giving light to the small room and was standing completely still, looking a funny contraption sat on the middle of the table.

Numair regarded it in horror. It was a fizzing bottle, held over a large candle and was now at boiling point. He had never seen one before in real life but had read enough and seen enough diagrams to recognise it. He looked at George who was paralysed with fear, not taking his eyes on it.

"It's an explosive potion," Numair said in a low voice. "It's a crude one, but I imagine it will work well."

"What are we going to do with it?" George asked through gritted teeth. He had no problem with magic, but not having a gift like Numair's or his own wife made him slightly nervous when he came up against an enemy he couldn't attack with a dagger or words.

"If I pick it up it will probably blow. I need to get it off the ship and into the water somehow without moving it. Look, George, get Onua and start swimming. You should still be able to swim fast with that spell I sent you. In five minutes you should be nearly back to shore. Get Alanna to push the waves back so the ship moves further out to sea, then I'll drop the ship to the bottom of the sea and trigger the potion. That way it won't affect Pirate's Swoop," Numair instructed. From what he could see of the potion it would be a large explosion and would likely reverberate a few miles round. Where the ship was now was too close to attempt to diffuse it or try a controlled explosion. He realised that Zilya was about to trigger it and would have killed all who was on board.

George looked at him strangely. "That's suicide. You'll end up blowing yourself up!"

Numair shook his head. "You'll see me stood beside you in no time at all," he reassured, the tiniest hint of fear in his chest.

George tentatively left the room and Numair waited, giving them him time to grab Onua and vacate the vessel. He heard the splash as both hit the water and then waited for George to return to the Swoop and Alanna to throw the wave.

He didn't have to wait long. He felt the boat rise and his stomach churn as he was carried along high on the water. He wondered what would happen if the bottle fell of the table, whether it would explode, but the room did not seem to tilt too much, staying level enough so the bottle merely moved a little along the table.

Numair felt the boat sink and waited until the waves had calmed. His eyes remained on the bottle, knowing with some relief that if it exploded now he would be the only one killed or injured.

He drew on his Gift and muttered an incantation that would begin to let the water in. After a few minutes, water began to flood at his feet and quickly immersed the room. He pushed open the door, forcing it open, not wanting to blast it for fear of setting off the potion too early.

As he climbed up the stairs and left the cabins he found that the vessel was nearly all the way under the water. He dived off the side and swam as far out as he knew he could go while still be near enough to carry out what he needed to. Treading water, he managed to hold out one arm and shout an incantation that set any visible wood on fire. He dived under the water and swam as quickly as he could away from the sunken ship.

Then he felt the power of the blast push him further and trigger a wave that helped him along in the direction of the shore. The potion had exploded and no one had been injured. He came up for air, inhaling rapidly and spotted Alanna looking out to sea for him. He waved weakly, drained, and then felt the tug of the water as the Lioness began to pull the water back in, and Numair towards dry land.

George was waiting near the cliffs, when Numair got their.

"You'll need one last gulp of breathe," George instructed, then inhaled and dived back under water.

Numair followed him, going through a hole in the cliff face and into chamber into which the sea created a whirlpool. Numair followed George around its sides to where a flight if stairs led up into the underbelly of Pirate' Swoop. Daine had once described the building as a bit like an iceberg, with more rooms and caverns underneath and hidden than there were on top. He wondered how deep the pool went, and then decided to leave finding out to another day.

---------------------------

Although he was tired and drained, and Alanna had suggested that he ought to rest before attempting the journey back to the Tower, Numair was now on the back of his horse, accompanied by the rest of his friends and heading back to Daine and Sarralyn. He hadn't even had the strength to send out a speech spell to his wife to let her know that everyone was alright, so she would get a surprise when they arrived. George had left the care of the prisoner in the capable hands of the men who worked for him and seemed relieved to be leaving the place to cal down before he returned. Sarge had not left Onua's side, continually watching out for her. He had been crazed with anger when he realised what had happened, and his thanks to Numair had been gruff but filled with sincerity; he had brought his love back to him.

They galloped along quickly, and were around an hour and half away from the Tower when Alanna had managed to open up a link with Thayet. The conversation was short as it was all that Alanna could do over the distance between them, but she had learnt one important fact. Buri had gone into labour.

Raoul looked flabbergasted when he heard the news, his jaw dropping and his eyes widening as he tried to take in the thought that in a few hours he would be a father. Numair smothered a smile at the look on his face remembering all too well when the emotions he had felt when the same thing had happened to Daine. At least Buri's labour would not be as complicated as giving birth to a baby shape shifter.

"Don't worry," he rode up to Raoul. "If you're lucky most of it will be over by the time we get there."

Raoul laughed, his expression returning to normal. "I'd have been less worried if I'd heard that they had been attacked by bandits or something. This is scary."

Numair nodded. "But it will be over soon, and then you're life will become a whirlwind of night time feeds, diapers and lung exercises. I am sure Sarralyn is destined to become a town crier!"

"How did Daine's pregnancy go?" Raoul asked. "I know she had to keep shifting her lower half when ever the baby changed shape, but what about other things, like cravings?"

Numair wondered what had brought this on. Obviously Buri had had some odd cravings or something else he wouldn't have mentioned it. "She had a phase or needing to eat a hair potion I use. At first I thought it was Kitten up to her old tricks again, until I caught Daine scooping it out and devouring it like she'd never been fed. The other strange things was eating dandelion heads, but that was partly due to Sarralyn having a few weeks where she seemed to prefer the form of rabbit above most other things. What's Buri been like?"

Raoul laughed and shook his head. "It's only been one thing, but it's lasted all the way through. Chewing candle wax."

"That's bizarre," Numair said with a laugh. "Was it a shook that she was pregnant?"

Raoul shook his head. "No, it was what we'd been wanting. She just came out with it when we were walking down to dinner at the palace one evening. It nearly fell down the stairs. She said it so matter of factly that I was stunned. Naturally she found my reaction hilarious!"

Numair grinned, recalling how Daine had broken the news to him. She had taken off her pregnancy charm the day they had gotten married, although they had worked out that Sarralyn was conceived at Lammas.

They had celebrated the Lammas festival at the Tower, just the two of them. It was still very close to their wedding and the novelty of being married had not yet worn off. There had been no pressing work for either of them, so they had too much spare energy, and Lammas eve had been spent making love in the fields, knowing that there was no one around bar Kitten to catch them, and that she was too busy with Raelyn in the kitchens to notice that they were gone.

Three weeks later, once they had returned to the palace, Daine had met him after he had given a lecture to the pages. She had come armed with a picnic basket and a bottle of water and demanded that they took a walk to the woods while they had the chance. The day had been a warm one, although summer was dying away and the nights had become chilly. They had sat down by the river that ran through the woods and Daine had begun to open up the basket. She passed him a cloth to unfold, which he did, and then told him to turn around and close his eyes. At her word he spun round, his eyes open, expecting, and hoping, to see a feast as he was famished.

What he did see took his breath away. She had laid out tiny baby clothes, a diaper and a small stuffed animal amongst the food, and sat there looking proudly at him. He saw that her eyes had filled with tears and gathered her in his arms, managing to knock over the bottle of water which mercifully still had its cork in.

For a few moments they were silent. Numair's hand went to her belly, still flat, but knowing that within her their baby had started to grow. Automatically he felt more protective over her, clasping her tightly against him.

"Are you pleased?" She had asked him quietly, large eyes looking into his.

He nodded, a large smile spreading across him face. "I'm ecstatic," he murmured, kissing the tops of the curls. "When did you find out?"

"This morning. I went to the healers and they confirmed I was. I knew anyway, but I didn't want to say anything until I was sure," Daine said, the look of wonder still on face. He kissed her deeply, discovering a sense of being that he had never had before, and then pulled away, aware of how his body was reacting.

"It won't harm the baby, you know," she whispered, making him smile.

Eight months later he had been at work in the university when a messenger had sent for him to go to the infirmary. He had found Daine lay on one of the beds, glaring at him.

"Are you alright?" He had asked rather stupidly, a question which was met with another look that could have killed.

Her labour had been long and tortuous and Numair felt guilty, feeling that he had somehow inflicted the pain on her. Finally, Duke Baird had decreed that they would have to help the baby out another way, a procedure that Numair found agonising to watch, although Daine couldn't feel anything.

The pain had gone away as soon as they had held their offspring in their arms. For the first minute she had stayed as a little girl, and then continually altered, shifting every few minutes until Numair felt worn out watching.

He smiled at the memory, smiling more when his daughter had finally decided to be a daughter and not some baby elephant or giraffe. He imagined that Sarralyn would find a way to continually amuse her parents and tear their hair out until well after she had her own children - a thought that Numair didn't particularly want to consider much at present.

He saw the Tower in the distance, and found himself encouraging his mount to hurry, desperate to see his wife and daughter. Raoul was already beating him to it, and for the next twenty minutes they pushed their horses to the maximum.

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They had managed to get Buri upstairs and lying on a bed, both Daine and Thayet going through the experience of their own pregnancies to try and help her. The time between contractions had shortened and Thayet was certain that the baby would be born at any time. Daine had asked her Ma for assistance, praying to the Green Lady for all she was worth.

Although the labour was seemingly going to be short, which for Buri was probably a good occurrence, Thayet was concerned about the element of shock it would have on her friend, and desperately prayed for Alanna to hurry up and take charge of the situation. Even with Daine's Ma giving them advice she was still unconfident and knew that Buri needed something to help with the pain, or at least ease her temper. Thayet was sure that she had never sworn that much while she was giving birth.

Buri's screams had increasingly grown in volume, enough to drown out the two pairs of feet that were running up the stairs. Raoul and Alanna burst in the door, Raoul immediately checking how Buri was and Alanna checking the health of mother and baby.

"Not long," she announced to the room. "How long ago did she start with the contractions?"

"About three hours ago," Thayet said, relieved that someone else who knew more than she was there to take over.

Alanna nodded. "The baby's head is beginning to crown," she announced. Raoul looked at her as if she had spoken in Scanran. "You'll be holding your child in a few minutes." She began to give instructions to Buri, who was now swearing profusely.

"I never took you to be a midwife," Thayet said to the Lioness.

Alanna shrugged. "I helped a village girl once before, but it seems like I have someone giving me instructions of what to do here now."

"We asked the Green Lady for assistance," Thayet replied. "But I'm glad you're here now."

Alanna smiled. "Why don't you and Daine go and inform the rest of the party what's happening and that in a few minutes we'll have another Raoul or Buri here."

Thayet nodded, grabbing Daine's hand. "Let's just pray they don't inherit their mother's mouth," she muttered, as her oldest friend spat out another obscenity, this time directed at her husband who was looking incredibly meek and awed.

Daine laughed. "I don't know, it's quite nice seeing Raoul being submissive."

Thayet laughed and they went downstairs to inform the rest of the party what was happening and find out the outcome of the events at Pirate's Swoop.

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An hour or so later Raoul ventured down the stairs clutching a tiny bundle wrapped in a pink blanket that had once belonged to Sarralyn. His face was alive with joy and his eyes shining brightly as he clutched his new daughter. The rest of the room stood up and cheered, Numair slapping him on his back. "Congratualtions!" was called and he tentatively say down with her.

"How's Buri?" Thayet asked, peering at the baby.

"She's doing fine. Sleeping now, and I expect she will do for a bit. Alanna said she'll be up on her feet in no time," Raoul replied, not taking his eyes off the child.

Daine peered at her through her long lashes. "She's very pretty already. What are you going to call her?"

Raoul shrugged. "We haven't decided. I want one name and Buri another, so we'll have to see."

Jonathan laughed wryly. "I think I know that outcome of that debate even if you don't!" His laughter was joined by most other people in the room, including the new father.

Numair watched Raoul as he handled the baby nervously, not quite sure of he was holding her right and tentative in his own movements, and Numair recalled holding Sarralyn after her naming ceremony. When she had been shape shifting it had been a nightmare to hold and rock her, but he hadn't felt that she was a delicate as once her shape had stuck as a little girl. Then he had been just as cautious as Raoul at first, soon becoming adept at picking her up as instinct had taken over. He looked at his own daughter, amusing her self by batting about the soft toys that were attached to a mobile above her cot and felt the same sense of pride and completeness he did each time he saw or thought about her.

The festival had been a strange one. Mabon was about the waning away of the sun and the kidnapping of Mabon until Midwinter, although the place of his hiding was actually in Modron's – his mother's – womb. Numair stood up and looked out of the window, considering the events of the past day. Raelyn had prepared the banquet, now in honour of the festival and of the birth of Raoul and Buri's daughter, and they would feast on all the good food that had been harvested and give thanks to the Great Mother. On the morrow he imagined that they would take a walk out to the nearby burial mounds and pay their respects to those who had passed over to the peaceful realms, including his own father who had been buried there. The birth of the child today felt significant to Numair. It illustrated how the cycle of life continued, and how the pattern of life was unbroken. Numair knew that in ridding the country of Zilya, there would still be someone with equally as bad intent somewhere, planning to wreak havoc and provide themselves with power and money.

Daine came to him and put her arms around his middle, resting her cheek against his back. His hands automatically reached back to her, knowing that he needed her presence as much as he needed water or air. She had not been happy when she had been told of how he had diffused the spell at risk to himself, lecturing about how he needed to stop being a hero and consider his daughter. But her words had been spoken only half seriously. He knew that she, in his position, would have done exactly the same, and she also knew, as he knew of her, that he would never do anything that would deprive Sarralyn of one of her parents. He had been confident today. Years of experience had taught him his boundaries, and although he occasionally pushed them, he knew how far to go.

Raelyn called them in to the large kitchen to eat the food she had made. Thayet and Jonathan had requested an informal occasion, so the rather grand table that was in the large sitting room would not be used. The kitchen contained cupboards made of oak, stained dark, with brass handles that gave it a rather ancient effect. It was tidily kept and the pride and joy of Raelyn. Spotlessly clean, with utensils and crockery that had cost Numair a small fortune but had kept both Daine and Raelyn happy until the next fad had come along.

Raoul had taken his young daughter back to the room where Buri still was, although he was joining them for the meal. The baby and mother were sleeping, which Alanna declared was the best thing for them, and Buri would be given something light to eat once she felt like it.

The banter was light and joyful; any negative aspects of the day now erased by the birth of the baby. As usual, Jonathan made half serious proposals to Raelyn to come and work at the palace and was duly shot down by Numair. Raelyn had been their housekeeper and cook for ten years and he was not in the slightest bit inclined to have her leave them. She had been the only worker he had hired and had never had to complain of their interference with his work. He doubted that she would leave them anyhow, having turned down three marriage offers already as they would have meant leaving the Tower.

The night drew on, the moon rising high in the sky and casting its eerie shadow over the land nearby. Daine and Numair were the last to bed, checking that everyone was alright and no one was in need for anything. Sarralyn had been fed and winded and was now snoozing quietly, a state that Daine hoped would last for a good part of the night at least.

She sat in the sitting room with her husband, both enjoying the silence of the house after the business of the day. She sat on his lap, curled up, enjoying the time alone. He smiled at her softly and tweaked her nose.

"One day ends and another begins," he said, looking to the time.

"Like so many other things," Daine smiled back, tweaking his own nose in return.

"Still happy, Magelet?" He asked, hoping he already knew the answer.

She laughed, her fingers playing with his horse tail. "Always, Numair," she replied, leaning toward his face for a kiss which he gave passionately. They were interrupted by the sounds of the new born baby crying, which then roused Sarralyn, causing a small yell from her, letting her parents know that she was awake.

Daine stood up, sighing, and went to her daughter, picking her up and cuddling her, soothing the cries. She looked at her husband and passed Sarralyn to him. She tended to quieten automatically when she was held by him.

Daine smiled. "Another day begins with the sound of Sarra's yells!" She paused. "Are you still happy, Numair?"

He looked at her then back to his daughter, his smile broadening. Gazing at his wife once more he looked at her with eyes filled with signs that said she was his world and gave her his reply, "Yes."

The night grew, and the couple with their daughter made their way to their bedroom, surrounded by the gentle sounds of sleep coming from their friends and began to rest their way into the next day of their lives.

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And so, the last chapter of the last part of the last story – for the time being. I hope you've enjoyed it – drop me a line to tell me what you think – **REVIEW!**

I'll be back!


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